Love takes hard work
by Rac4hel414
Summary: When Gabriella is confronted with a new boss, she gives him the wake up call he'd been needing. Not only is he rich and obnoxious but he also thinks how a woman in his life would cramp his style. What happened to 'opposites attract?
1. The new boss

**A/N: Okay, you guys are so totally going to hate me but I don't like how 'Beautiful disaster' is going. So...that's stopped. Sorry. You know me, if I don't get into it or don't like it...I stop it. It just wasn't writing like 'Out of this world did' :(...anyway...Take a look at the poll in my profile please. Actually...I think there are two...do 'em both. Don't own HSM

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Chapter 1 – The new boss

Gabriella brushed the constant tapping on her arm off as she blew her whistle, pointing to a sandy blonde guy messing around with another guy with black hair. "Don't do that." She said in a stern voice before turning around to face whoever it was. "Tay!" She squealed, jumping off of her chair and embraced her best friend before pulling back in realisation. "Oh, I'm sorry. How is my future god-daughter?" She asked.

"You know if you keep going on about it, I could give that title to Sharpay." Taylor joked, rubbing her enlarged stomach.

"Pfft! Sharpay and children? She can't look after a goldfish!" Gabriella scoffed.

"She's our best friend." Taylor pointed out.

"She still can't look out for a fish. She still owes me a replacement for Fluffy." She whined, folding her arms in a cute pout.

Taylor laughed. "Who names a goldfish Fluffy?" Taylor asked.

"Me." Gabriella grinned.

"Anyway, your god-daughter has been doing summersaults all day." Taylor groaned.

"Why are you groaning?" A voice asked in a mock serious tone.

"Chad!" Gabriella squealed, flinging her arms around the man's neck.

Chad chuckled and patted his friend's back. "Hey, Brie."

She pulled back and breathed out. "What are you guys doing here? I thought you weren't coming back until next week."

"And if we want to come home early?" He grinned. "Hey, we promised you last year we're spending Christmas with you, Zeke and Sharpay. Hopefully she'll like my gift this year." He muttered.

"You got her gardening tools." Gabriella exclaimed.

He shrugged. "Hey, and they were good quality. Have you seen our garden now?" He grinned.

Taylor hit his chest, rolling her eyes. "Anyway, Ella, when's your lunch?"

"In about ten minutes, actually. But, everyone's going to the ballroom to meet the new boss. I don't know why Shar sold this place." Gabriella whined.

"She never came here." Chad mumbled.

Taylor elbowed him and hugged her friend. "Well, call us when you get home and we'll go round, okay?"

Gabriella nodded and waved her friends off. She glanced at her watch and sighed, handing her whistle to the lifeguard taking over from her. She smiled in acknowledgement and then slipped her flip flops on her feet and her white jacket over her red bathing suit and shorts before jogging off to the kitchen. She ran up to an African-American man in a chef's hat and hugged him from behind. "Zeke." She squealed.

He chuckled, placing the last of the mixture into a backing tray and smoothing it out. "Hey, sister from another mister."

She giggled and released him, leaning on the counter. "Chad and Tay are back?"

"Yeah?" Zeke asked, placing the try into the oven on a low heat. "How's the baby?"

"Really annoying Tay, apparently." She laughed.

"And Justin?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

"They didn't say." She shrugged. "I think he was in the play area. I mean, he knows this place like the back of his hand."

Zeke nodded, taking the chef's hat from his head. "Yeah. I know. Anyway, we'd better go and meet this new boss. The other half of the staff has already met him."

Gabriella nodded and yawned slightly. "I guess." They started wandering the corridors towards the ballroom.

"You tired?" Zeke asked.

"Hmmm…" She muttered, resting her head on his shoulder.

He wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "You want to go home?"

She shook her head. "I need the money. How stupid is that? I'm a qualified doctor and I'm working as a lifeguard at a country club!" She exclaimed. "And with Christmas coming up…"

"Hey, Shar and I will help. You know we will. And we won't take no for an answer." He said sternly as they entered the ballroom and sat down on two chairs among the other employees. "Brie, you're going through a rough patch. Your life isn't perfect and there's nothing you can do about it. So, let us help."

"I might not have a choice." She sighed.

"How was your shift, by the way?" He asked, squeezing her shoulders.

"Oh God, don't even go there." She muttered. "There was this guy there and he wouldn't stop breaking the rules. I think he just knew he was pissing me off. I sent him out of the pool twice before I gave and then kept telling him off."

Zeke chuckled. "How old?"

She shrugged. "Maybe a couple of years older than me." She whispered.

"Looks?" He asked.

She sighed. "What is this? Twenty questions?"

He rolled his eyes. "You can't keep hiding from every guy that comes into your life." He whispered.

"Not every guy!" She defended.

"Dad, Chad and I don't count." He said softly.

"Hey, settle down people!" A voice exclaimed.

Everyone became quiet and turned their heads to the doorway. Gabriella cringed when she saw a tall, muscular guy with dirty blonde hair, sharp defined facial features, sparkling sapphire eyes, strong muscles and a towel in his hands which he was using to dry his hair. He was dripping wet and just in a pair of red and white swimming trunks. He wandered into the room and stood on the small stage in front of his employees.

"Shit." Gabriella whispered, slouching further into the chair.

"You okay, Brie?" Zeke whispered, squeezing her shoulders.

She looked up fearfully at him. "That's the guy who was pissing me off." She whispered.

Zeke's eyes widened. "Our new boss?"

"I didn't know he was our new boss." She whispered.

"Hey, I'm Troy Bolton. Nice to meet you all. I know it's your lunch break so I'll make this quick. I'm Troy Bolton. I've just bought this country club from Sharpay Baylor who is married to…" He scanned the crowd before his eyes landed on Zeke who had raised his hand. Troy smiled before nodding. "Zeke Baylor. Head chef, correct?"

Zeke nodded. "Yes, sir."

Troy turned around and grabbed a clipboard from the piano stool and dropped his towel to the floor. He turned back to his staff and scanned the page in front of him. "And according to Mrs Baylor, your sister is…" His voice trailed off when he saw Gabriella. "Gabriella Montez." He said in a stern voice, making her wince.

"That's me. The one and only." She whispered, slowly raising her hand.

Troy sighed and kept his gaze on her. "Everyone, enjoy the rest of your lunch." He saw Gabriella move to leave and he continued in a loud voice. "Not you, Miss Montez."

Gabriella sighed and looked at Zeke pitifully. "What do I do?" She whispered.

Zeke shrugged. "Just don't let him get to you, I guess." He kissed her forehead. "I'll be in the gym if you need me." He whispered before leaving the gym with the rest of the employees.

Gabriella bit her lips and hooked her thumbs into the tops of her pockets of her shorts. She turned around and sighed. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr Bolton."

Troy set the clipboard on the piano and turned to her, folding his arms. "I suppose it is."

Gabriella rushed forward and hopped onto the stage. "Listen, Mr Bolton, I didn't know you were my boss. I was just doing my job!"

"Then why were you talking to Chad and Taylor Danforth?" He asked sternly.

"Okay, I guess you know them because of Chad's job as a basketball superstar. But, I haven't seen them in months. And Sharpay always let me talk to them when they come here." She said desperately.

"Look at me and tell me what you see." He said quietly.

Gabriella looked him up and down, noticing how well toned his body was. "A shirtless guy who has just come out of the pool?" She tried.

"Am I blonde?"

"No."

"Am I a woman?"

"No." She whispered, feeling herself shrink back from the power of his gaze, exactly how a mouse would when confronted with a cat.

"Am I Sharpay Baylor?" He asked, stepping forward.

She shook her head. "Well, no, but I-"

"In that case, no talking to friends when on shift." He said sternly.

"Figures." She muttered with a sigh, rubbing her forehead. "All I can do is apologise." She whispered. She looked into his eyes for a moment before realising he wasn't going to say anything. She jumped off the stage and started walking out of the ballroom, shaking her head slightly.

"Miss Montez." Troy called desperately.

She turned around looked up questioningly. "With all due respect, Sir, I'm twenty-three. I'm not a child. You can call me Gabriella."

Troy jumped down off of the stage and jogged over to her. "That's another thing: you're twenty-three and you're working as a lifeguard in a country club. What's the deal with that?"

Gabriella was silent before folding her arms, showing defence. "That's none of your business." She whispered.

"As your employer, I'm afraid it is." He exclaimed impatiently.

Had they been in any other situation, Gabriella knew she'd be appreciating his body more than she was at that moment. "Well, I'm afraid that you'll just have to not know. I don't want you to know and that's final. What happens in my life is nothing to do with you. Not in my book, and not in Zeke's." She said confidently before turning around and running out of the ballroom.

Troy sighed, running a hand through his wet hair, dishevelling it even more. "Gabriella Montez." He whispered. What was she hiding? He ran back to the stage and grabbed the clipboard, flipping through the pages before reaching Gabriella's.

"Hey, Troy." A voice said.

Troy glanced up and saw the black haired man with a petite brown-haired woman holding his hand. "Hey, Jase, Kels."

"What's up?" Jason asked as Troy sat on the edge of the stage and they both sat either side of him.

Troy sighed and stared at the picture of Gabriella printed on the sheet of paper. "That's one of the life guards. She's going to be hard work."

"What's wrong with her?" Kelsi asked softly. "She seems pretty nice to me."

"But, she doesn't like me. I can see it in her eyes. First of all, she kicked me out of the pool twice, then yelled at me when I broke the rules. But, you guys know why I kept doing all of that stuff…" His voice trailed off. "She's hiding something." He decided.

* * *

"Shar, why did you sell Lava Springs?" Gabriella whimpered into her cell phone.

Sharpay sighed. "I thought we'd been over this?" She asked.

Gabriella nodded but realised her friend couldn't see her. "We have but… I miss it when you owned it." She whispered.

"Brie, I couldn't own it anymore. I never went there, I know Zeke and you work there but…" Her voice trailed off.

Gabriella sighed and ran her free hand through her hair. "I just know that this isn't going to be how it was when you were here."

"That's because – legally – we're sisters." Sharpay explained. "Come on, cheer up."

"Why the…heck should I be cheerful?" She cried. "You know the deal with my life right now."

Sharpay sighed on the other line. "I wish I could help but I'm in New York for another week and a half."

Gabriella nodded, feeling tears well in her eyes. "I know that. I don't mean for this to make you feel guilty but it seems the only one who is always with me is Zeke. Chad and Tay leave once basketball season kicks off and you go all over the country for shows."

"I know, Brie. But, hey, listen, when I come back, I'm not going anywhere for two months and I know Chad and Tay aren't either. So, we can have some girl time shopping. What do you say?" She asked brightly.

Gabriella sighed and finally smiled. "Is that promise?"

"If I was there, I'd totally make it a pinkie promise." Gabriella could almost hear Sharpay's grin in her voice.

"Shar, I'm twenty-three and you're twenty-five. Don't you think we're too old for pinkie promises?" Gabriella asked, lifting her eyes to look at the cloudless Albuquerque sky. The hammock she was lying on swayed in the breeze and she sighed in contentment.

"What's my husband up to?" Sharpay asked, changing the subject.

"The usual." She grinned up at the sky.

"What's your kitchen like?" Sharpay joked.

"If I know my brother as much as I think I do… It probably looks like it's been snowing, I'll have to go shopping tomorrow and most likely, I'll end up kicking his butt in wrestling." She laughed.

Sharpay burst out laughing and sighed. "Well, Honey, I'd better go. I'm sure you do too."

Gabriella yawned into the phone and groaned. "I wish I could stay here forever."

"Hammock?" Sharpay asked knowingly.

"The one and only. Anyway, goodnight, Shar." Gabriella whispered.

"Goodnight, Brie." Sharpay replied.


	2. My daughter

**A/N: I liked this chapter :P lol. I'm glad you all seem to like this story lol. Don't own HSM. Btw, check out 'The American Mall' on youtube. (there's only music videos not the whole movie) it's by the same producers as HSM

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Chapter 2 – My daughter

Gabriella pulled her jacket closer around her body as she nibbled on her sandwich. Why was life never fair? All of her life she had had to fight for what she wanted. She had to work in a country club as a lousy lifeguard because she got fired from her job as a doctor! Unlike people like Troy Bolton, she had had to plan her life and work for a living. People like Troy Bolton gladly flew through life without a care in the world, buying whatever caught his eye.

Even though Sharpay, Zeke, Chad and Sharpay were all fairly rich but they donated practically half of their earnings to children's homes around the country and various other charities.

And she didn't have a penny to her name.

"Slagging me off?" A voice asked.

Gabriella jumped and looked up to see Troy looking down at her. "How did you get up here?"

Troy sat down next to her, crossing his legs. "Probably the same way you did. I climbed the tree. What are you doing here?"

"I've worked here since I was fifteen. I know this place inside out and back to front." She smiled slightly. "I didn't think anyone would think to climb a tree to eat lunch on a roof."

"Let's just say… I think more clearly from a height." He said softly.

Gabriella looked at him with raised eyebrows. "No kidding."

"What about you?" He questioned.

"I just like winter skies." She whispered. "A lot to think about and one look at the sky seems to take it all away."

"You know you've still got work this afternoon." He said quietly, eyeing her black skinny jeans and NYU hoody.

She lifted her hoody up to reveal her swimming suit. "I'm not stupid." She whispered.

He held his hands up. "I never said you were."

"So… What did you need to think about?" She asked.

"Huh?" He knitted his brow together in confusion. Gabriella giggled silently at the cuteness of his face, like a little boy who had just figured out that the world wasn't flat.

"You said you think more clearly from a height. Why did you come up here?" She asked. "You don't have to tell me. I'm sorry, Sir."

He smirked slightly and pulled the sleeves of his jacket over his hands. "I'm twenty-five. I'm not a child. You can call me Troy."

"Were you a dork in high school or is it something that occurred after graduation?" She asked, biting into an apple.

He chuckled and shrugged. "Maybe. What's it to you?"

"A curious girl who is on her lunch break." She laughed slightly. "I so shouldn't be laughing." She whispered, staring at a pigeon which landed a few feet away.

"Hey, what's wrong?" He asked softly, moving to sit beside her.

"Everything." She whispered.

Troy was silent for a moment, knowing she wanted some quiet to think things through. "Do you want tomorrow off?" He asked.

She looked at him in surprise. "What?"

"If you want, you can have tomorrow off." He offered.

She stared at him in disbelief and shook her head, placing all of her rubbish into her lunch box and placing the lid on it. "I can't."

"I'm offering you." He protested.

"And I'm declining. I can't afford it right now. Find another girl to have your way with her." She whispered.

"What made you think that?" He asked quietly.

She looked at him and shrugged. "That's not what you meant?"

He shook his head. "No. I wouldn't even see you if you didn't want to. I mean, if you want to go on a date with the handsome me, well…" He chuckled as she shoved him. "I was just looking over your record and I saw that you work every possible hour under the sun. I wanted to give you a break."

Gabriella sighed. "I've already told you. I can't afford it."

"I'll take it out of your sick days. That way you'll get paid." He grinned.

"You wouldn't do that." She shook her head, hugging her knees to her chest.

"Wanna bet? You are officially ill tomorrow." He grinned, standing up and brushing his jeans off. He offered her his hand and gave her a look when she refused. "Come on, I don't bite."

After a moment of consideration, she placed her small into his larger one, allowing him to pull her to her feet, her lunch box grasped tightly in her other hand. They stared into the other's eyes for a few moments before she released his hand, rubbing it on the back of her jeans. "I've, uh, got to go. My lunch is ending."

* * *

"Hey, Ella!" A voice called.

Gabriella hopped off of her chair and looked up at Zeke. "Hey, what's up?"

"You okay?" He bit into a croissant, leaning against the tall, white chair.

"Yeah but I'm on duty meaning I can't talk to anybody." She muttered.

"What's wrong?" He asked with concern.

She folded her arms, her eyes glancing at the pool to make sure everyone was behaving. "I talked with Troy at lunch."

"Troy Bolton? Our boss?" He asked.

Gabriella sighed and nodded, pushing a stray curl behind her ear. "Yes, that Troy Bolton."

"Well, what did you talk about?" Zeke asked, flicking some crumbs off of his shirt.

She sighed, rubbing her eyes. "I don't know. I think we were talking about how we think… I'm not entirely sure. And he gave me tomorrow off…"

"He can't do that. What about your pay? What did you say?" He exclaimed, taking another bite.

"Exactly what you said. I said I couldn't because I couldn't afford it and then he did the strangest thing. He said I'm going to be ill tomorrow." She whispered, blowing her whistle loudly and pointing at some teenagers. As it was the start of Christmas break, the schools had been let out and so it was busier. As it was winter, everyone was using the indoor pool for obvious reasons.

"You're going to be ill?" Zeke asked slowly, chewing on the last mouthful and brushed his hands clean on his green apron.

She nodded. "He said that it'll be a sick day. I didn't know what to say." She whispered.

Zeke considered her a moment. "What are you going to do?"

She shrugged. "There's like two weeks until Christmas…"

"But, if it's a sick day, then you'll get paid." Zeke explained.

"I know that." She snapped. She sighed and blew her whistle again, pointing at the same group of teenagers. "Last chance." She warned. She turned back to Zeke and her shoulders slouched. "Why has my life always been a case of me wondering what I did wrong?"

"What makes you think you did something wrong?" Zeke gasped.

She shrugged. "Just look at what happened to me. I must've done something terrible in my past life!"

Zeke hugged his sister close. "Look, I'm going to quote your favourite movie." He pulled back to look her in the eyes, his hands resting on her shoulders. "With no suffering, there'd be no compassion."

"You know, a twenty-five year old guy shouldn't be able to quote 'A walk to remember'." She giggled.

He rolled his eyes and shrugged. "Hey, I've got to get back to work. You'll be okay, right?"

She nodded. "Of course."

He kissed her forehead and hugged her tightly one last time before walking away. "Keep your chin up, Fluffy Glove." He called.

"As always, Muffin Bear." She yelled back, grinning slightly.

"Gabriella!" A voice yelled.

She turned around to see Steph, a sixteen year old girl who work at reception, running up to her. "Steph, what's wrong?"

* * *

Gabriella pulled her NYU hoody over her swimsuit and knocked on Troy's office door. She waited a few seconds before knocking again more forcefully. "Troy, open up!"

"What's wrong?" A voice asked, pushing past her and entering the office.

Gabriella jumped and followed Troy inside as he sat down in his large, leather chair. "Listen, I know you gave me tomorrow off but I need to go." She pleaded.

Troy leaned back, folding his arms behind his head. "Why?"

She sighed, not really wanting to say. "I just need to go."

"Tell me why and I'll say yes." He compromised, lifting his feet onto his desk.

She folded her arms and glared at him. "Listen, that isn't and option. I need to go. Can I use your phone? I left mine at home."

"Why?" He asked.

"I need a cab." She exclaimed.

"Tell me why you're going and I'll drive you." He said quietly, picking up his keys and twirling them around his fingers.

She groaned in frustration. "Can I explain on the way?"

Troy let his feet fall to the floor and he leaned forward. "Promise?"

Gabriella smirked slightly and held her pinkie out. "Pinkie promise."

Troy hooked his pinkie around hers and smiled, standing up. "Go on, then."

"Thank you!" She squealed as she hugged him.

He stumbled back slightly in surprise before wrapping his arms cautiously around her. "It's okay, Gabby."

Gabriella pulled back, a frown creasing her brow. "What did you call me?"

"Gabby?" Troy asked slowly. "Is that okay?"

Gabriella swallowed before nodding. "Yeah. Come on." She walked out of his office with Troy following. They headed into the parking lot and she automatically headed to the black sports car right by the entrance.

"How did you know this was my car?" Troy asked as they both climbed in.

Gabriella glanced at the old, beat up cars surrounding them. "It stands out a bit." She whispered, strapping the seatbelt across her torso.

Troy nodded in realisation as he clicked his own seatbelt in place and pulled out of the parking lot, driving down the freeway. "Where am I going?"

"Do you know where the pre-school is?" Gabriella asked quietly.

"Yeah. I think so." Troy said quietly, frowning slightly.

"Just head there. You'll know everything once we get there." She whispered.

* * *

Troy threw his head back onto the headrest as he saw Gabriella running towards the school's entrance out of the corner of his eye. What the hell was he doing here? Why had he given her the day off? And why, most importantly, was he paying attention to Gabriella Montez? He had yet to figure answer to any of them out but he knew one thing: she was a challenge. And after years of intense basketball training, he had been taught to thrive when confronted with a challenge.

He had been brought up in Los Angeles – and resulted in him being the city guy people labelled him as – and had, originally, planned on being a professional basketball player. But, after a car accident, he had known before he graduated college that he'd never be able to play professionally. With a fractured knee cap and lower leg, he had been lucky they'd been able to fix with the state it had been in.

Then, he began to study business which led him to owning several sport stores and now a country club. Most of his stores were back in L.A. but he had decided to move to Albuquerque in order to experience the small town life. He had heard stories about it – how no one had secrets – but he had felt pressured to experience it as most of his friends had move away other than Jason and Kelsi.

Kelsi had known him since they were four years old when their mothers had become friends. They had been left alone in the lounge of the Bolton's for half an hour before Kelsi had finally plucked up the courage to ask if they had to watch basketball. Believe it or not, Troy hadn't always been the confident, obnoxious guy people saw today. But, somewhere during high school, the roles reversed and Kelsi became more quiet and timorous.

Jason came into the picture during freshman year when he moved to L.A. Kelsi had tried to date boys throughout the years but had broken up with all of them as none of them understood her relationship with Troy – which, he admitted, he doubted anybody ever would. But, once they met Jason, he became Troy's best friend and because of that, Kelsi felt that he was comfortable with her relationship with Troy. As always, he didn't understand it, but he didn't have to. As long as he didn't question anything, she was happy and so was Troy.

He jumped out of his thoughts when the car door opened and he looked across to see Gabriella climbing in, a little girl nursed in her arms. She had long, dark curls which were parted into two neat plaits, her eyes were closed and obscured from view because she was burying her face into Gabriella's chest. She was wrapped up in a thick, warm coat with mittens on her hand with a scarf to match. She looked about three, four at a push and Troy had to look questioningly at Gabriella as she pulled the car door shut.

"Troy, this is Allie. My daughter." She whispered nervously, hugging the little girl close to her.


	3. Ice cream

**A/N: Check it out! lol. Don't own HSM

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Chapter 3 – Ice cream

"Y-Y-Your d-d-d-"

Gabriella slapped his arm as she handed him the key to unlock her small house. "Just spit it out."

"Your daughter?" He croaked, turning the key in the lock and pushing it open. He allowed her through first and leaned against the doorframe for support.

"I said it ten minutes ago." She rolled her eyes, turning around to face him, Allie slowly waking up. "Are you coming in or not?"

Troy stepped over the threshold and closed the door. "Sure."

"I'm just going to settle her in bed. Could you do me a favour?" Gabriella asked, stroking Allie's hair.

"Mama." Allie cried, burying her nose into Gabriella's neck.

"Shhh… Mi hija, it's okay." Gabriella whispered, rocking from one foot to the other. "I know you don't feel very well." She kissed Allie's head and turned back to Troy. "Could you get some ice cream from the freezer? Just bring the tub. A spoon, a glass of milk and a flannel or towel run under the cold tap?" She asked.

Troy nodded, heading into the small kitchen. "Sure." He whispered.

Gabriella turned around and carried Allie upstairs, into a small bedroom, closing the door behind her. She sat them both down on the small bed covered in a pink fairy duvet and turned to Allie, slipping her scarf and mittens off. "Okay, Baby Girl, I'm going to make you better. I promise."

Allie nodded, sniffing, and allowed her mother to remove her coat and shoes. "Who-"

Gabriella shook her head. "Don't talk, mi hija."

Allie poked Gabriella gently in the arm until she lifted her head. She pointed the door and turned back to Gabriella, raising her arms as Gabriella pulled her jumper and t-shirt over her head.

"That's Troy. He's my friend." Gabriella explained softly, slipping Allie's pink Disney princess nightshirt over her head.

Allie wiggled out of her jeans and socks and furrowed her brow as Gabriella tucked her in. "Is he nice?" She whispered, snuggling into her covers.

Gabriella nodded after a moment. "Yeah. He is. Now, wait here a second, okay?"

Allie nodded as Gabriella kissed her forehead.

Gabriella straightened up and opened the door just as Troy was about to knock. "Oh, Troy. You find everything?"

Troy nodded, balancing a tray on one hand, stuffing his other into his pocket. "Yeah. It's cool. Is Allie okay?" He asked, glancing over her shoulder at the little girl.

Gabriella shrugged. "I'll find out in a minute. Go on in, introduce yourself and talk to her about anything to do with fairies and princesses. That kind of stuff. Tell her to drink the glass of milk but only little sips at a time. Help her to sit up while she drinks it and make sure she's lying back down when she's done. Stroke her forehead with the flannel and then I should be back. Don't let her talk because it'll hurt and she'll cry. Got it?"

"Introduction. Fairies. Princesses. Milk. Sips. Flannel. Got it." He nodded.

Gabriella glanced at him momentarily before walking off. "I'll be back." She called over her shoulder.

Troy walked into Allie's room and he smiled softly at how much she looked like Gabriella. "Hey." He said softly, walking over and placing the tray on her bedside table. "I'm Troy. You must be Allie."

She nodded timidly.

"Well, your mama just told me that you need to drink your milk, okay?" Troy asked tenderly.

Allie nodded and held her arms up.

Troy chuckled and helped her to sit up before gently holding the glass to her lips. He brought it away, setting it on the tray again. He started to stroke her forehead with the flannel. "How was that?"

She smiled weakly and nodded. "Nice. Please can I have some more?"

Troy smiled and repeated the process before making her lie down. "I think that's enough for now." He whispered, stroking her forehead tenderly. The glass was half empty and she kept eyeing it. "I'm sorry, Allie, but your mama's coming back in a few minutes."

She smiled weakly and pointed to a shelf on the opposite wall.

Troy turned and saw dolls and teddies lined up. He turned back to her and laughed gently. "You want one of them?"

She nodded.

Troy stood up and went over to the shelf. Unable to ask her which one she wanted, he didn't know. So, he gathered them all in his arms and carried them back over to Allie, placing them gracefully onto her bed. He helped her sit up and watched as she searched through them, picking up a small doll with a tattered, soft, pink body and a solid head up for Troy. He smiled as he took it off her and sat on the side of her bed. "Is this your favourite?"

She nodded and then pointed to her bedroom door.

"It was you mama's?" He asked.

She nodded and started coughing.

Troy hurriedly dropped the doll onto the bed and reached for the glass of milk and held it softly to her lips, allowing her to take small sips. He placed it back on the tray and ran his hand through her thick, dark curls. "That better?" He reached for the flannel and started stroking her forehead once again.

She nodded rubbing her eyes slightly to clear the tears that had gathered there.

The door opened and Gabriella walked in with a black leather briefcase. "Hey, mi hija." She said softly, walking over to sit on the bed. She spotted the dolls and teddies and raised her eyebrows at Troy.

He held his hands up defensively. "She wanted to show me." He picked up the doll with the pink body and held it up. "Apparently this was yours."

"She's called Molly." Gabriella explained, opening the briefcase and taking out a thermometer, placing it in Allie's mouth.

"Molly the Dolly? You couldn't do better than that?" Troy teased.

Gabriella shot him a mock glare. "I was three!"

"Uh-huh." He muttered, holding the doll out for Allie who gladly accepted it, hugging it tightly.

Gabriella removed the thermometer from her daughter's mouth and checked it. "Okay, Sweetie, open your mouth." She placed the thermometer back in her briefcase and brought out a tongue compressor. Allie opened her mouth and Gabriella pushed her tongue down with the wooden stick, frowning slightly as she inspected Allie's throat. She removed the compressor and stroked her daughter's cheek. "Your throat hurts, doesn't it, mi hija?"

Allie nodded, a tear rolling down her cheek.

"Okay, Sweetie. I'm going to make it better, I promise." She dug through the compartments of the briefcase before finding a brown bottle. She unscrewed the cap and poured five millilitres of an orange liquid onto a medicine spoon. "Allie, you won't like this but it's going to make you better. And Troy will give you ice cream straight after." She looked at Troy pointedly.

He hurried for the ice cream tub and took the lid off. He grabbed the spoon and scooped some onto it. "Ready."

Gabriella quickly gave Allie the medicine and then Troy gave her the ice cream. Allie swallowed and Gabriella hugged her tightly, kissing the top of her head. "Okay, Baby. That's going to make you better. Now, you get some sleep." She helped Allie settle into the covers and packed the briefcase away before setting all of the dolls and teddies onto the floor, only leaving Molly with Allie. She kissed Allie's forehead tenderly. "Te amo."

"Te amo, Mama." Allie whispered, closing her eyes.

Gabriella picked up her briefcase and signalled for Troy to bring the tray with him. They left the bedroom and went downstairs together into the kitchen. She set the briefcase on the island and turned to Troy, taking the tray from him. "You okay?"

He nodded and scratched the back of his head. "I'm just still in shock that you have a daughter."

"Why are you so surprised?" She asked indignantly, placing the ice cream into the freezer and washing the glass of milk out.

"Well, you're not married and… You seem the kind of girl that wants to wait to marriage." He admitted. "You aren't married, are you? Because otherwise, your records are in need of a serious update."

Gabriella giggled and threw the flannel into the washing machine. "Calm down. I'm not married."

He nodded. "So, what were you doing up there? And what did you give her?"

"Just some medicine." She shrugged.

"How did you get it?" Troy asked in a slightly demanding voice.

Gabriella turned to him and sighed, folding her arms. "I'm a doctor."

"I'm sorry?" Troy asked.

Gabriella pulled her hoody over her head, let it drop to the floor and sat down in her swimsuit and jeans. She fiddled with an apple from the fruit bowl and felt Troy sit beside her. He grasped one of her hands and she stared at their interlocked hands. "I'm a qualified doctor." She whispered.

"So why are you working at Lava Springs?" He asked softly, wrapping his other arm around her shoulders.

"I let my guard down." She whispered. "I went out with the first guy in three years and maybe I should've been smarter. He was my boss after all. Then, he broke up with me and fired me." She explained quietly. "I haven't worked at Lava Springs all these years. Sharpay just kept me on the listings in case something like this happened."

Troy frowned, kissing her cheek. "You haven't been out with someone in three years?"

She shook her head. "Not many guys want to get tied down with a three year old daughter."

Troy rested his head on her shoulder. "Well, they're bastards, aren't they? There are loads of guys who would kill to have a woman like you and a wonderful girl like Allie."

"You don't even know us." She sniffed.

"Guy's intuition." He whispered, making her giggle slightly.

"Do you want some coffee or something?" She asked after a moment.

"You want me to stay?" He asked unsurely, releasing her from his arms.

"You don't look like you're going anywhere." She noted.

"I'm not going to." He promised.

"I bet you used that line on a million other girls." She whispered, sliding off her stool.

"What?" He asked in confusion.

She switched the kettle on and reached up to the top cupboard to bring down two mugs. She turned to him, cocking her head to one side in an inquisitive manner. "You've said that to a million other girls, right?"

He shook his head seriously. "I don't make promises I can't keep." He whispered.

* * *

Troy slipped his jacket on and smiled at Gabriella. She had changed and was now in some black skinny jeans and a thick, white jumper. "You going to be okay?"

She nodded. "Thanks for staying."

He shrugged. "Hey, I like to take care of my employees."

She raised her eyebrows. "I'll believe you. Thousands wouldn't."

"Never heard that one before." He said sarcastically.

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "What can I say? I'm close to my dad."

He chuckled and nodded. "Figures."

"Your Dad's the same?" She raised an eyebrow.

He nodded. "And every dad in the world is the same."

"Mama." A voice croaked.

They turned to the bottom of the stairs to see Allie standing on the bottom step, rubbing her eyes with one hand and grasping Molly tightly with the other. Troy rushed forward and bent down to her level. "Allie, Baby Girl, what are you doing awake?"

She yawned and her eyes fluttered closed momentarily before she opened them again. "I wanted some ice cream." She whispered.

Troy picked her up, resting her on his hip. "I'm sure your mama will give you some."

"And some hot chocolate if you're a good girl and let Troy go on his way." Gabriella said sternly.

Troy chuckled. "Don't worry so much. I'm in no rush and I want to make sure this little Chocolate Baby is okay, don't I?" He asked.

"Chocolate Baby?" Gabriella asked in confusion.

"Her eyes remind me of chocolate. Just like her mother's." He whispered softly.

Gabriella blushed and folded her arms. "Thank you." She whispered.

He smiled gently and turned to Allie, looking her in the eyes. "Are you going to be a good girl for you mama?"

Allie nodded. "Yes."

"Are you going to pout with me until you get ice cream?" He grinned.

Allie giggled and nodded.

He kissed her forehead gently and then handed her over to Gabriella. "She's beautiful."

Gabriella nodded, holding her daughter tightly. "I know she is."

Troy leaned down to whisper in her ear. "I wasn't talking about Allie." He kissed her cheek and straightened up. "Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow."

Gabriella frowned. "What? I thought you were giving me the day off? And I kind of can't go to work now."

He shrugged. "I was actually going to swing by tomorrow to see how Allie is."

"Oh." Gabriella whispered. "I guess that's okay."

Troy nodded. "Good. By the way, what has Allie actually got?"

"Nothing serious. A mild case of tonsillitis. We're both prone to getting it in the winter." She explained.

"Well, make sure she gets loaded up on ice cream and milk." Troy said in a stern voice. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay, Allie?"

Allie smiled weakly and nodded, holding her arms out to him. "Goodbye Troy."

Troy took her off Gabriella one more time to hug her. "Get better soon, okay?"

Allie nodded as Gabriella took her in her arms once again. "Mama will make sure I do." She whispered tiredly, resting her head on Gabriella's shoulder.

Gabriella smiled slightly at Troy. "Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

Troy nodded. "I plan on it."

_Ladies' man. _Gabriella sighed softly and nodded. "Well, tomorrow…"

"If you need me at all. No matter what it is, or what time, you call me okay?" He asked seriously.

She nodded. "Sure thing."

He kissed her cheek once more before pulling the door open. "Goodbye, Gabby." He said softly before closing the door.

Gabriella sighed. _Gabby… _That one word from one guy… "Come on, Allie, let's get you that ice cream Troy promised you."


	4. Sundaes

Chapter 4 – 

Troy knocked on the door of Gabriella's house, Jason and Kelsi standing behind him. "Guys, will you shut up about it?"

"No." Kelsi said cheekily. "What has this woman done to you?"

Troy shrugged. "Honestly? I don't know."

"What happened to 'I don't want to cramp my style'?" Jason asked, slinging his arm around Kelsi's shoulders.

Troy stepped onto Jason's foot forcefully, resulting in Jason letting out a shriek that was just a little too high pitched. "She is my employee and I am worried about her daughter."

Kelsi rolled her eyes, snuggling into Jason's side. "Troy, no matter how hard you try, you can't lie to me or Jase. We've known you for too long."

"It's the truth." He defended.

"Troy." Kelsi said in a warning voice.

"Okay, I like her a little." He sighed. "But, only a little."

"Sure." Jason muttered. "Why did we have to come?"

"You didn't." Troy turned around to face his best friends. "You invited yourselves."

"Well, I want to see how you act around this Gabriella." Kelsi smirked.

"Why are you so cheeky to me?" Troy exclaimed.

Kelsi broke from Jason's arm and hugged Troy tightly, catching him momentarily off guard. "You're my big brother." She whispered. She pulled back and grinned. "And I want to make sure I approve of my future possible sister."

Troy rolled his eyes and turned back to the door as it opened. "Hey, I just brought Allie a… Chad? Chad Danforth?" He exclaimed, grinning brightly.

The African-American grinned back and hugged Troy tightly. "Troy Bolton!" He pulled back looked at Kelsi and Jason. "Hey, Jase, Kels."

"What are you doing here?" Troy asked as they all entered the house.

"I'm here with Tay and Justin, helping Brie with Allie." He explained. "What about you?"

"Same thing." He said, laughing slightly. "I saw last season. Way to go, Dude."

Chad nodded. "I can't believe you're Brie's boss."

He shrugged. "Hey, basketball can't be my life anymore so... Anyway, where's Gabriella?"

"Right here." A voice said through a yawn.

Everyone looked to the bottom of the stairs to see Gabriella wrapped up in a light blue dressing gown. Troy smiled softly and stepped forward. "Hey, Gabby. Um, this is Jason and Kelsi. My best friends. They're getting married." He explained.

Gabriella yawned once again. "This is-"

"Chad. I know. I went to college with him." Troy interrupted.

"You didn't tell me." She whined. "Did you know Jason and Kelsi too?" She asked Chad.

He nodded. "Yeah. Tay does, too." He said apologetically.

Gabriella cringed when a loud "Mama!" rang through the house.

"I'll be back." She sighed.

Troy grabbed her hand and pulled her back. "You go and make yourself some coffee. Wake up a bit. I'll see to Allie." He promised.

"No because she's really cranky because she didn't sleep and- What's that?" She asked, pointing to a box Troy was grasping in his other hand.

Troy glanced down at it and blushed. He held it up for her to see it. "I got it yesterday after I left. It seemed like the kind of thing Allie would like."

Gabriella took it off of him and smiled at the fairy doll enclosed in the box. "She wanted that for Christmas but it didn't come out until next week!" She exclaimed, taking the box from him.

He shrugged. "I'm Troy Bolton. I know people. Besides, I think I should go and make sure she's okay. You get some coffee." He took the box from her and started running up the stairs.

"Troy!" Gabriella called.

He turned around at the top of the stairs to face her. "Yeah?"

She turned to Chad, Jason and Kelsi with a glare which could only be used by a mother. They hurriedly pushed each other out of the way to get to the lounge. She turned back to Troy and smiled gently. "She hasn't stopped talking about you."

Troy chuckled. "She likes me?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I think you won her over with ice cream."

"Yeah I've heard that can work on little girls." He chuckled before turning around and going over to enter Allie's room. He pushed the door open and grinned at her surprised face. "Hey, Chocolate Baby." He sat down on the side of her bed and hid the box behind his back.

"Troy!" She said in surprise.

"Hey. How are you feeling?" He asked tenderly, stroking her cheek gently.

"A little better but my throat still hurts." She whimpered.

Troy brought the box out for her to see. "I got this for you." He said gently.

She took the box off of him and her eyes brightened immediately when she saw it. "Barbie fairy princess! Thank you, Troy."

He smiled and shifted so he was lying beside her, his arm going around her shoulders. "Is this okay?"

Allie nodded in amazement. "Thank you, Troy."

He kissed her forehead softly and stroked her hair. "It's no problem."

"Can you open it for me?" She asked innocently.

He smiled and took it from her hands. He kept his arm around her shoulders and took the doll from the box and handed it to her, discarding the box to the floor. "Is that okay?"

She smiled at him and nodded. "Yeah. Thank you so much."

He hugged her tightly and kissed her forehead again. "No problem. You try to go to sleep, okay?"

"Will you stay here?" She asked sweetly.

He nodded. "If you want me to, Chocolate Baby." He whispered.

"Is that your nickname for me?" She asked innocently.

"If you want." He said softly.

She nodded. "I like it."

Troy rested his head above hers and sighed softly. "Go to sleep, okay?"

She nodded her head which was resting comfortably under his armpit and her eyes drifted close. "Okay."

* * *

Gabriella poured some coffee into two mugs and finally turned around. "Stop staring at me!" She cried at Chad, Jason, Kelsi and Taylor.

They all jumped slightly and Taylor stuck another forkful of chicken with chocolate sauce into her mouth. "Well, you left Troy upstairs. With Allie. Alone."

Gabriella nodded, pouring milk into both cups and stirring them. "I know. But, she likes him."

"So, what are you going to do?" Kelsi asked quietly.

"About what?" Gabriella asked dumbly.

"About his crush on you." Chad said in exasperation. "Even I can see he likes you!"

"Troy doesn't like me." Gabriella protested, turning to face them. "He's my boss. It wouldn't be appropriate, professional and I'm pretty sure it's not legal."

"It is as long as the employee isn't under eighteen." Jason piped up. "What? My sister did a law degree."

Gabriella sighed. "He doesn't like me in that way."

Taylor rolled her eyes, placing the used plate onto the side. "Right. And it's not Chad's fault that I just ate chocolate and chicken."

"Hey!" Chad exclaimed. "I resent that."

Gabriella giggled slightly. "Well, I better check on them. Don't wreck my house." She said sternly, picking up both of the cups and heading upstairs. She stepped into her daughter's bedroom and nearly dropped the coffee cups in surprise. Allie was curled up around Troy, sleeping peacefully. And Troy? He was lying on his back and holding her tightly against his chest. His head was resting on the pillows and his eyes were closed with soft snores escaping his mouth.

She giggled quietly and placed the cups on the bedside table before sitting on the edge of the bed. "Troy." She whispered, nudging his shoulder.

"Hmmmm…" He mumbled, a smile gracing his handsome face. "Gabby, you're so beautiful."

Gabriella blushed and tugged on his hand. "Troy, wake up."

Troy's eyes slowly fluttered open and he smiled sleepily at Gabriella. "Hey. What's up?"

"Why were you sleeping?" She asked quietly, not wanting to wake Allie up.

He shrugged, yawning loudly. "Who knows? I told her to go to sleep and the next thing I knew, I woke up to you."

The look in his eyes made her blush even more and then she realised she was still holding his hand. She released his fingers and brushed her hand on her dressing gown. "Uh, did she like the doll?"

He nodded, resting his other hand behind his head. "Yeah. She loved it."

She smiled softly and nodded to the coffee cups. "I brought you some coffee."

He sighed gently and shook his head. "I don't think I'm going anywhere."

"Was she alright?" Gabriella asked in a concerned voice.

He chuckled softly at her worry and nodded. "She was fine. She was okay when I walked in anyway."

She nodded and reached for a coffee cup, taking a sip. "She really likes you."

"Yeah?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

She nodded, nursing it in her lap. "She didn't stop talking about you. Although, I begged her to stop talking because I knew her throat would be hurting."

He smiled and nodded. "You really love her, huh?"

Gabriella stared at Allie and nodded. "She's the best thing that ever happened to me."

"Can I ask you a question?" Troy asked after a moment.

She nodded. "Of course you can."

"How did Allie happen?" He whispered.

She smiled slightly and lifted the cup to her lips, allowing the warm fluid to sooth her tiredness. She looked him in the eyes and quirked a single eyebrow.

"You're not going to tell me." He realised.

"You asked if you could ask me a question. I never said I'd answer." She replied, smirking slightly.

He smiled in amusement. "Very funny."

"I thought so."

He chuckled and took his hand from behind his head to rest it on her knee. "You know you can talk to me."

She nodded, placing her coffee on the bedside table. "I know. But, you're going to have to wait."

"Why?"

"The only guys I have in my life are my dad, Zeke and Chad." She whispered.

"If you won't answer me that question, will answer another?" He asked seriously.

She shrugged. "It depends on what it is." She whispered.

"Please don't get offended and you totally don't have to answer." He said sincerely, keeping eye contact. "Why is Zeke black and you're white? And why are you Montez and he's Baylor?" He asked quietly.

She sighed and smiled slightly. "Why do you want to know?"

"I like to know my employees." He replied.

"Or you would like to know me." She raised her eyebrows as she rested her hand on top of his – which was still resting on her knee.

Troy blushed slightly and felt Allie move beside him, forcing him to shift closer to Gabriella. "Maybe. But, will you answer my question?"

"I'm adopted. Have been since I was seven." She explained gently.

When she didn't say anymore, Troy narrowed his eyes. "What? No reason?"

She nodded. "Of course there's a reason. But, that's where I stop."

He nodded in acceptance. "That's totally cool."

"Really?" She asked unsurely.

Troy beckoned her to come closer and she shifted closer. "Come on, I don't bite. Come on."

She realised what he wanted and she lay down next to him, as close to the edge as she could get. "Why am I here?"

He raised his arm and she finally snuggled into his side, letting him wrap his arm around her shoulders. He pressed a kiss to her cheek and twirled some of her hair around his finger. "That's why. I want you to know that you and Allie are special to me."

"Why?" She whispered, rolling onto her side to face him.

He shrugged. "You hated me."

"I hate you and you like me?" She asked slowly.

He shook his head. "Well, it does sound a little strange but it's true. You didn't care that I'm rich. That's never happened to me before."

She smiled slightly and shrugged. "By the way, you're not the self-centred rich guy I thought you were."

"Good. We kind of got off to a bad start. Can we start over?" He asked softly.

"You ask a lot of questions." She smiled gently.

He shrugged. "I like to know things."

She giggled. "But, I don't want to start over."

"What?" Troy gasped.

"We wouldn't be right here if we started over." She continued.

He sighed in relief. "You mean that in a good way, right?"

Her eyes flickered from his pools of blue to his lips. "You tell me." She whispered, slowly moving closer.

Her lips were just about to touch his and a voice broke through the silence. "Surprise!"

Gabriella jumped and rolled over, off of the bed. She groaned in pain and held a hand to her forehead as she opened her eyes. "Sharpay!" She scrambled to her feet and embraced her best friend. "What are you doing here? I thought you weren't coming back until next week?"

Sharpay pulled back and frowned. "I'll ask the questions around here. Why are you in your robe and Troy Bolton in Allie's bed?"

Gabriella rolled her eyes at her friend's bluntness. "Does Zeke know you're here?"

"No. I came to see you first. You told me that Allie was sick so I guessed you'd be here." Sharpay explained and then she noticed that the little girl was stirring and she rushed to the other side of the bed. "Hey, Allie."

"Auntie Shar." She smiled sleepily.

Sharpay hugged the little girl before letting her lie back down into Troy's arms. "How are you feeling?"

"My throat hurts." She muttered.

"I know, Honey. But, your mama's making you better, isn't she?" Sharpay asked, stroking Allie's dark hair.

"And Uncle Troy, too." She piped up.

"Uncle Troy?" Sharpay raised her eyebrows at Gabriella.

"Don't give me that look. I didn't start it. It's the first time I've heard her say it." Gabriella exclaimed.

"Why did you start calling me 'Uncle'?" Troy asked, stroking Allie's arm.

"Well, there's Uncle Zeke, Uncle Chad and Uncle Ryan. I just thought that Troy was another Uncle." She explained innocently. "Was I wrong?"

"Why don't you ask Troy?" Gabriella suggested. "And your Auntie Shar can go to Lava Springs and surprise Uncle Zeke, can't you?" She asked sternly, pointing her look at Sharpay.

Sharpay winced. "Girl, I'm your best friend. Stop using that look on me."

"Go and tell Zeke you're home." Gabriella repeated.

Sharpay kissed Allie's forehead and pointed at Troy. "Take care of both of them."

Troy saluted her and smiled softly. "Consider it done." She walked over to the bedroom door and turned to face them all. "And if you ever need a babysitter for when you two want to be alone…" She trailed off suggestively.

"Sharpay!" Gabriella exclaimed.

Sharpay sighed. "I'm going." She left the room and Troy and Gabriella heard thumps as she walked down the stairs.

"I think she's in a bit of a strop." Troy commented.

"She's always like that." Gabriella said, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Allie, Sweetie, why don't you ask Troy about what you called him?"

"Troy, are you going to be my new Uncle?" Allie asked sweetly.

Troy looked from Allie to Gabriella and back again. "I'd like that. If it's okay with your mama, of course."

Gabriella leaned down to kiss his cheek. "It's more than okay." She whispered.

"Mama!" Allie whined.

Gabriella broke her gaze from Troy's to look at Allie. "Yes, mi hija?"

"I need to go potty." She whispered.

Gabriella leaned over Troy, pulled the cover back and lifted Allie up. The little girl wrapped her tiny legs around her mother's waist and Gabriella carried her out of the room. "We'll be back." She called over her shoulder.

Troy smiled softly at the ceiling and sighed. Gabriella was like no woman he'd ever met before. Not only was she beautiful – heck, that didn't even begin to describe her – but she was intelligent, witty, charming and very protective of Allie. And that turned Troy on almost as much as Gabriella's looks. And Allie. She was so sweet and innocent. Just like her mother.

They had almost kissed! Troy had only talked with Sharpay while settling the final details of the country club but right now he hated her more than his father's cooking! They had been so close! Well, he knew it couldn't have gone too far because Allie had been in the room at the time. But still… How fast is it possible to fall in love?

He thought about the time he had read _The Choice _by Nicholas Sparks after Kelsi had sat down and forced him to after claiming 'he had a lack of romantic ways which girls will fall for'. Travis and Gabby – coincidence or what – had fallen for each other after one weekend together and lived happily ever after. Sure, it was a book but, how far were the possibilities when it came to love?

"You okay?" A soft voice asked.

Troy rolled over to face the door in time to see Gabriella enter the room with Allie resting on her hip. "Yeah. Are you?"

She nodded. "I'm just taking Allie downstairs because she's due some medicine."

"You need some help with the ice cream part, right?" He asked knowingly as he sat up and stretched his back muscles.

She smiled innocently. "Maybe. Allie, would you be a good girl and have your medicine if Uncle Troy gives you ice cream?"

She nodded her head excitedly. "Please can I have some ice cream, Uncle Troy? My throat hurts really bad."

Troy got off of the bed and took Allie from Gabriella's arms. "If you promise me you'll take your medicine, I'll make a special super scrumptious strawberry sundae. Too bad it's not Sunday. Try saying that five times fast." He chuckled.

"Thank you, Troy." Gabriella said sincerely, kissing his cheek.

"No problem." He replied softly, revelling in the feeling of her lips on his skin. Oh yeah, he was falling for her.


	5. Meeting the parents

**A/N: Check it out lol :P

* * *

**

Chapter 5 – Meeting the parents

"So, you know Justin?" Troy asked, squeezing Gabriella's shoulders that little bit more. After Troy, Gabriella and Allie had gone downstairs, everyone had decided to leave – each with their own lame excuses but, Troy and Gabriella both knew that everyone wanted them to get together. After Allie had had her medicine and ice cream sundae, she had fallen asleep and when Gabriella had gone downstairs, she had found Troy making two more sundaes.

"More sundaes?" She'd asked, smiling in amusement.

"Don't you want to try what your daughter just had?" He'd feigned shock.

She had poked her tongue out rather childishly and stood beside him, squirting some whipped cream into her mouth. "If ice cream is involved? Definitely."

"So that's where her obsession comes from." He had said sarcastically, kissing her forehead sweetly.

Her giggles had erupted at the comment and she had shrugged nonchalantly. "Hey, my brother makes the best sundaes!"

"Are you sure? Mine re pretty irresistible." He had said while he had continued scooping ice cream into two large glasses.

"That sounds like a challenge." Gabriella had poked his chest which ended up with him yelping and Gabriella giggling again. They had both eaten their ice cream and were now sat on the couch, Troy's arm around her shoulders. His feet were propped up on the coffee table and Gabriella's were tucked under her body.

"What about him?" She replied.

"How did he happen? Or doesn't Chad and Taylor want me to know?" He asked, rushing to get the last part out.

She shook her head gently. "No. Theirs is kind of romantic." She whispered. "Something my story isn't."

"Wait a minute." Troy exclaimed. "Chad was twenty. And so was Tay, weren't they?"

She nodded. "That's right. They weren't even married then. But, don't you know this story? I thought you and Chad went to college together?"

"We did. And he talked non-stop about Taylor and Justin after he was born. But not how he happened." He said quietly, furrowing his brow.

Gabriella looked up into his eyes and smiled slightly. "Like you said, they were twenty. It was their two year anniversary as a couple and Chad drove all the way from L.A. to New York to see her. She thought that they were going to celebrate during the summer break which was three weeks after their anniversary."

Troy smiled softly. "Oh yeah. I remember that. He missed a game to go and see her."

Gabriella nodded. "That's right. She knew how much the game meant to him and she begged for him to stay in L.A. but he knew what she was really saying so he drove to New York where Tay and I were attending college. You should know how she would drive to L.A. and all around the country for his games. I would've gone but a medical degree takes up more time than a teaching one." She explained.

"I know. My mom's a doctor and my dad's a teacher." He chuckled slightly.

She smiled and nodded. "So, Chad came to New York and surprised her. Basically, they kicked me out of our apartment and I had to stay at Zeke's and Shar's. They shared an apartment. He was at NYU with Tay and I and Shar was at Julliard."

"Where?" Troy asked.

"Another college in New York but it concentrates on theatre." She explained. "And that's it. I mean, you're older than me, you can fill in the blanks."

He chuckled and nodded. "Yeah. I can."

She looked away slightly and sighed. "We all just pitched in to help. Tay struggled a bit with Chad being so far away but we all helped. Chad came when he could which was almost every weekend. The college was great about it and we all graduated."

"And you?" He asked softly, placing two fingers under her chin to face him. "Where did Allie come into it?"

"You really want to know, don't you?" She smiled slightly.

He nodded, softly caressing her cheek with his thumb. "Yeah. I do. You're so hard to figure out. I've always been able to read people but…not you."

She giggled softly and kissed his cheek. "My friends can't understand me. They say I'm like a rubix cube with a chest."

He raised his eyebrows. "But, I want to understand you. So much." He whispered as he started to lean in.

Gabriella suddenly stood up and smoothed her dressing gown out. "I should probably wash these up." She said, gesturing towards the empty ice cream glasses.

Troy nodded and got to his feet. "I'll help. Do you prefer washing or drying?"

"You don't have to help!" She protested, picking the glasses up. "And speaking of helping me, you've been here all morning. Why aren't you at work?"

He shrugged, prying the glasses from her hands. "Let me think: coop myself up in a stuffy office all day doing paperwork that doesn't have to be done until next month or come and visit a cute little girl who isn't very well and her mother. Tough choice."

She nodded and pushed past him, going into the kitchen. "I'll take drying." She grabbed a tea towel from the counter and smirked slightly.

He placed the glasses on the side and started running water into the sink. "Then I guess I'm stuck with the washing. You do realise that I'll be back tomorrow, don't you?"

Gabriella leaned against the island as he added Fairy washing up liquid and she watched as white bubbles erupted from the pouring water. "No. I did not realise that. But, I'm sure Allie will be happy to hear it."

"What about you?" Troy mumbled, grabbing the cloth and soaking it in the warm, soapy water.

"What about me?" She asked in confusion.

He looked over his shoulder at her and smiled coyly. "Are you happy about it?"

Gabriella reached for the spoon he had just washed and started to dry it off. She looked him directly in his eyes and she breathed out gently. "Maybe."

Troy raised an eyebrow as his hands stilled his movements. "Not even a 'very maybe'?"

"How can you have 'very maybe'?" She exclaimed, placing the spoon to side and reaching for the one left on the draining board.

He chuckled and shrugged. "Hey, I only just passed English."

"I can tell." She muttered. She placed the second spoon on the counter and reached for the first of the glasses.

He rinsed out the final glass and reached for a second tea towel, turning to face her. "You know, you really shouldn't insult your boss like that."

"And what are you going to do about it?" She reached for the second glass and started to dry it.

His eyes softened and a sigh escaped his lips. "Nothing." He whispered.

"So, you'd let me insult you?" She asked unsurely.

He nodded. "If it meant I got to see you and Allie, you could insult me like crazy."

She met his eyes and looked to the side. "Troy, don't do this."

"What did I do?" He exclaimed, folding the tea towel neatly and placing it on the counter.

Gabriella placed the glass down on the island and tossed the tea towel next to it. She gripped the island tightly and felt her knuckles click as she squeezed her eyes shut and bowed her head. "Nothing. But, you're going to do something."

"What?" Troy asked in confusion. "Gabby, you're scaring me."

"That's it!" She cried, lifting her head to reveal her teary eyes. "No one has called me Gabby since I was seven. I haven't let anyone call me it. Not even Zeke. And when you did… I didn't know what to do. So, I left it and I liked it."

He smiled slightly. "But, what do you think I'm going to do?"

"If I have to tell you, it kind of ruins it." She whispered, wiping her eyes.

He nodded and a silence enveloped them as her words sank in. "Then I guess I'll have to figure it out."

She nodded and fiddled with her fingers before looking him in the eyes. "Troy?"

He stepped forward and brushed a curl behind her ear. "Yeah?"

"If I find a job as a doctor and I leave Lava Springs, will you keep me on the listings like Sharpay did?" She asked innocently.

He nodded, pressing his lips to her forehead. "If you want me to."

"And will you want to stay friend if I leave?" She whispered. "Because Allie will miss you even though she's known you just a couple of days. And I might as well."

He smiled and wrapped his arms around her in a tender hug. "I'd be honoured to stay friends."

* * *

"Hey, Parents!" Troy yelled as he entered the Bolton's house. He didn't live there, he lived a little closer to Lava Springs, but he went there nearly everyday while he had been living in Albuquerque.

"Hey, Troy." A feminine voice called. "We're in the lounge."

Troy slipped his shoes off and jogged into the lounge, flopping into one of the armchairs in the room. "Where are Jenna and Cody?"

Lucille Bolton looked up from her magazine and smiled at her oldest son's concern. "Jenna went to a friend's and Cody went to one of his friend's."

"Right." Troy muttered. "You know when you guys came down to Albuquerque because of your job?"

Jack walked in, eating an apple and he sat next to his wife. "What about your Mom's job?"

"Dad, why do you always interrupt the talks Mom and I have?" Troy exclaimed before shaking his head. "That doesn't matter. Mom, are there any vacancies at the hospital?"

Lucille frowned. "What? Why do you want to know?"

Troy sighed and ran his hands over his face. "I have an employee. On her records it said her last job was at Albuquerque infirmary. I don't know the full details but she got fired and she's best friends with Sharpay. The point I'm getting at is that she needs a job that pays well."

"Why? And I hate to sound like a jerk but why do you care so much?" Jack asked, biting into his apple.

Lucille smacked him in the face with her magazine. "Jack!"

"Ow! What is with the violence, Lucy?" He exclaimed in disbelief.

Troy laughed. "Guys!"

"He's saying he's in love with her." Lucille said in exasperation.

"I am not in love with her!" Troy protested.

Lucille raised her eyebrows. "Troy, I'm your mother."

"I know who you are!" He exclaimed. He sighed and leaned his head back to stare at the ceiling. "I like her a little more than a friend should like another friend. Or at least how a boss should like an employee. Which is another reason why she needs a job."

Lucille shrugged. "I don't know, Troy. I mean, I can try to find out if there is but, I doubt it. This is Albuquerque private hospital we're talking about, Honey. The only reason I got a job there was because the one in L.A. sent me here." She said softly.

He nodded. "I know."

"Who is this girl?" Jack asked, wrapping his arm around Lucille.

"This girl is named Gabriella Montez." Troy whispered.

"Wait!" Lucille exclaimed, sitting up suddenly which made Jack jump slightly. "Gabriella Montez? She's twenty three?"

Troy nodded. "Yeah. How do you know?"

"She's the best doctor at Albuquerque infirmary." Lucille yelled excitedly. "She's the best known doctor in Albuquerque."

"I thought you were?" Jack asked in confusion.

Lucille slapped his arm. "I was trying to be modest."

"Sorry." Jack muttered, slouching further into the couch.

Troy laughed. "Dad, why don't you just shut up?"

"Your mom would miss my voice." Jack said confidently.

Lucille smiled and kissed his cheek. "Yeah, I would."

"Guys, can we please focus?" Troy asked, making his parents look at him. "Does that mean she's likely to get a job?" He asked excitedly.

Lucille nodded. "I mean, I'm on the night shift tonight so I most likely won't be able to find my boss but, I can try on my next shift."

Troy breathed a sigh of relief. "You would?"

She nodded. "Sure I can. And you seem to like her as well. That's never happened before. Except for a certain girl named Carly…"

Troy groaned. "Don't go there. Gabriella isn't like her."

"No?" Jack asked with interest. "Tell us about her."

"Would you like to meet her?" Troy asked suddenly, sitting up straighter.

Lucille nodded. "That might be a good idea. I mean, I'm high up so they'll consider my opinion of her."

"Yeah. But, don't make it obvious. I don't want to get her hopes up too high." Troy whispered. "So, I'm not going to tell her unless she gets the job and I have to be the one who tells her." He said sternly.

Jack and Lucille nodded. "How about she comes around for dinner?" Lucille asked.

"That would be…" His voice trailed off and he cringed slightly. "That's not a good idea."

"How so?" Jack asked.

"She has a daughter." Troy whispered. "She's got tonsillitis."

"Gabriella or her daughter?" Lucille questioned softly.

"Her daughter. Hey, let me call her okay?" Troy asked, leaping to his feet. He walked through to the kitchen and grabbed the cordless phone off of the counter. He dialled the number he had learnt off by heart and pressed 'call'.

"Hello?" Gabriella's voice asked.

"Hey, Gabby. It's me, Troy." He said softly.

"Oh, Troy. What's up? You left about an hour ago." She giggled slightly.

"Well, you see, I'm at my parents' house and I was talking about today and they really want to meet you." He said gently, sitting on one of the island stools.

"You were talking about me?" She asked slyly and Troy could hear her smirk over the phone.

"Stop smirking and tell me if it's okay." He said, trying to avoid the subject.

"Well, I guess its okay but, I mean, Allie's sick." She said apologetically.

"I know. I've been helping you look after her all day." He pointed out. "They know. I told them. So, what do you say?"

Gabriella sighed over the phone. "Troy, I'd love to but I'm not good with meeting a guy's parents. I mean, the last time I met a guy's parents was…never."

"You've never met a guy's parents?" He asked in disbelief.

"No." She muttered.

"Listen," He started softly, "I'm going to be there and they'll love you. I promise."

"How can you promise me that?" She asked quietly and Troy knew she had tears in her eyes.

"Gabby, don't cry." Troy pleaded. "Remember what I said? I don't make promises I can't keep."

"I don't know, Troy." She whispered.

"Hey, I'm going to be there right beside you and Allie. But, I guarantee that parents will love you." He said encouragingly.

"Well, I don't have that much food or anything." She muttered.

"We'll pick up some Chinese on the way." He compromised. "But, hey, you're going to be having dinner with the handsome me."

She giggled slightly. "Well, okay. If you insist…"

"Well, as it is, you're only coping with my parents. You could be suffering the company of my little brother and sister." He chuckled.

"You're an older brother?" She whispered.

"Why do you sound so shocked?" He exclaimed in disbelief.

"Well, you seemed like an only child." She admitted.

"Well, me and my parents will be over in about half an hour." Troy said.

* * *

"Gabriella, this is my mom and dad." Troy introduced.

Gabriella – who had finally changed out of her dressing gown into a knee length denim skirt and a pink t-shirt and a thick, dark blue jumper – smiled at the older man and woman. "It's nice to meet you, Mr and Mrs Bolton."

Lucille stepped forward and laughed, wrapping her in a friendly hug. "Oh, Honey, I'm Lucille and this is my husband, Jack." She pulled back and motioned to the older version of Troy carrying a brown paper bag of Chinese food.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, too, Gabriella." Jack said sincerely. "Troy hasn't stopped talking about you since he came into our house."

Troy elbowed his father and growled a deep, "Dad!" making Gabriella giggle.

"I know a girl who hasn't stopped talking about him, either." She said softly, smiling at Troy. She saw his blush and gentle smile and decided to have a little fun as she turned to Lucille. "Yeah, Allie won't stop talking about her Uncle Troy."

"What?!" Troy exclaimed and his parents and Gabriella turned to look at him. "I mean, I'm hungry. Let's eat." He grabbed the bag off of Jack and rushed into the kitchen.

"Good one, Gabriella. You know, I have always been the best at torturing my son but, heck, you're a close second." Jack complimented her as they all went to the kitchen to find Troy emptying the plastic tubs from the bag.

"Will you guys excuse for a minute? Allie is due her medicine and she's asleep so I need to wake her." Gabriella said softly, pointing to the hall.

"Can I help?" Troy asked immediately.

"She'd like that." Gabriella smiled. "But, I don't want to leave your parents alone. I mean, they're my guests."

Lucille chuckled slightly. "Calm down. We'll dish everything up here. You go and sort your daughter out. By the way, Troy has already gone."

Gabriella turned to see that the hallway was, indeed, empty. She sighed gently and turned to Jack and Lucille. "Well, I might as well stay here. He'll have to bring her down for the ice cream, anyway. He'll be down soon."


	6. Thoughts and Promises

**A/N: Okay, I know I haven't been updating. A little thing called homework! ARGH!!! Don't own HSM. And I've been co-writing 'Down in the jungle' with HSMandChelseaFCfan it's a oneshot. check it out and her other stories. She rocks!

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Chapter 6 – Thoughts and Promises

Troy rocked Allie back and fore as he stuffed a spoonful of egg fried rice into his mouth. "Mom!"

"What?" She asked innocently.

"Gabby really doesn't want to hear about that." He protested as he once again interrupted a story from when he was three.

"Yes Gabby does." Gabriella exclaimed.

"Mama!" Allie whined sleepily.

Gabriella rushed to the other side of the island and gently lifted the little girl into her arms. "Shh… Mi hija, it's okay. What's wrong?"

Allie sniffed and coughed slightly. "Mama, can I have some more ice cream, please?"

"No, Allie. I think you've had plenty, don't you Uncle Troy?" She asked the young man, glaring pointedly.

Troy sighed and nodded. "Yeah. You're already sick. We don't want you to be worse, do we? How about some warm milk?" He suggested.

Allie bit her lip cutely in thought and finally nodded, raising her arms for Troy. "Yes please."

Troy rose from his stool and went over to the fridge. "You stay with your mama and I'll hold you once I've got your milk."

She nodded, resting her head on her mother's shoulder. "Can I watch 'Cinderella' later, Uncle Troy?"

Troy poured some milk into a plastic beaker and placed it into the microwave, timing it to be heated for a minute. He turned to Allie and smiled softly. "Maybe. What do you think, Gabby?"

Allie looked up to Gabriella with a cute pout. "Please, Mama?"

Gabriella sighed and turned to Lucille and Jack. "What do you think, Lucille and Jack? Should she watch 'Cinderella'?"

"Don't bring us into this." Jack declared, scooping some chicken foo yung and swallowing it. He pointed the fork at Gabriella and smirked. "This is more entertaining than those reality TV shows they do."

Gabriella laughed in disbelief. "Not what I was hoping to hear." She turned back to Allie and tightened her hold on her. "I'm sure Uncle Troy would love to watch 'Cinderella' with you."

Troy turned to the microwave when it beeped loudly and he opened the door. He took the beaker out and took a sip, seeing if it was warm enough. "There you go, Chocolate Baby." He said softly, handing it to her.

Allie took it off of him and took a sip. "Thank you, Uncle Troy."

"Wow." Lucille said in amazement. "And I can't get him to wake Jenna up on a morning."

"Jenna?" Gabriella asked as she and Troy both took their previous seats opposite each other.

"Our daughter." Jack explained.

"You can't be bothered to wake your own sister up?" Gabriella giggled.

"I was in high school! I love Jenna. If she has trouble with boys, I'm the first one she runs to." He explained modestly, eating some noodles.

"Yeah. They're all afraid that they'll end up in the hospital!" Lucille exclaimed.

"One time!" Troy protested.

"You sent a guy to the hospital?" Gabriella asked in disbelief.

Troy rolled his eyes. "One time. No one messes with my little sister."

Jack chuckled. "But, we did ground him for a month."

His son sighed. "A minor set-back."

Gabriella rolled her eyes as she rocked Allie back and fore. "Right. But, Zeke was exactly the same with me. Except, no guy got sent to the hospital."

Troy poked his tongue out. "Shut up."

She giggled and placed Allie's empty cup on the island counter. "Why?"

"Uncle Troy, can we watch 'Cinderella' now?" Allie whined before coughing slightly.

Troy nodded and got to his feet to take the little girl in his arms. "Of course." He carried her into the living room and then Gabriella heard her daughter's infectious giggles.

Gabriella sighed slightly and stood to place her plate into the sink. Why was he being so nice to her and Allie? Okay, that was a stupid question. It was pretty obvious why he was being nice to them both…and it definitely wasn't that he was her boss. She hadn't thought like this since…ever. She had never thought about how guys looked and definitely not how they acted. During her early education, she had been too young to like boys in that way and during high school, she focussed on her studies so she was sure to get into medical school. Which then resulted in her being labelled a geek so no guy other than Zeke and Chad hung out with her. However, during college she had had her first couple of boyfriends…until Allie. And then her love life literally went down the tube. Forgetting about males not having the ability to settle down with a daughter, she didn't have the time for a committed relationship.

"Honey, are you okay?" Lucille asked, appearing beside her.

Gabriella nodded and plastered a smile on her face. "I'm fine."

"You sure?" Jack asked, handing her his empty plate.

She placed it in the sink and smiled slightly. "Now I know why Troy is always concerned."

Jack nodded. "Comes from me."

Lucille smacked his arm and glared. "Excuse me?"

"I mean from the both of us." He grinned innocently.

Lucille rolled her eyes and turned to Gabriella, glancing at the clock behind the brunette's head. "Oh, bother!" She exclaimed. "As much as Jack would love to help you wash up, we have to go. Jenna and Cody are due back and our house is a good twenty minutes away. Jack will drive back for Troy."

Gabriella shook her head. "It's okay. I'll drive him or call my brother. It's cool, I promise."

* * *

Gabriella giggled at Troy's position on the couch as she reached for the DVD remote to switch the movie off. She sighed gently and walked over to the couch to brush Allie's dark hair out of her face. People often complimented her on how alike the both of them looked and how no one ever found something in Allie which wasn't in Gabriella. Whether it was to do with her personality or appearance, they were exactly the same.

Except one thing no one else saw but her. She saw the one thing that separated them from being truly identical. Something Gabriella couldn't escape. Something that haunted her when she slept. She forced her tears not to fall and shuffled out of the living room and into the hall closet to find a large, thick, woolly blanket. She closed the closet and made her way back to the lounge. She slowly unfolded the blanket and draped it over her daughter who was lying comfortably beside her boss. Both of them were sleeping and Troy's arm was wrapped protectively around her shoulders. Small snores escaped Troy's mouth and she mentally admired his nose wrinkled whenever that happened.

As she curled up in the armchair positioned in the corner of the room, she wondered what he dreamt about. Then again, it was fairly obvious, even to her. She focussed her eyes on Troy and Allie as she wrapped her dressing gown tighter around her petite frame. He was so handsome. All her life she had refused to call guys sexy or hot after being brought up by an old fashioned father – one that was, coincidentally, not Zeke's.

His body was sprawled over the couch horizontally – now partially hidden by the red and white blanket. His sandy blonde hair was massively dishevelled and his left arm was hanging over the side of the sofa while his right – and once again she admired this – was hugging Allie close to him. His facial features were sharp although she could imagine that they had been much softer as he was growing up. His body was firm and muscular which she knew was from hours of intense basketball training. Even though she couldn't see them, Gabriella knew about his eagle wings and she wondered how they would feel is she touched them.

She shook her head violently, erasing the thoughts – which were not so innocent – from her mind. She couldn't – no, she _wouldn't _– think like that. Especially as the man was her boss. She glanced at the clock hanging on the wall and noticed how late it was. Ten thirty. After Jack and Lucille had left, she had cleared everything away and then talked with Troy in the lounge as Allie watched 'Cinderella'. However, she had gone upstairs to put some laundry away and when she had returned in her pyjamas and dressing gown, the DVD credits were rolling and both Troy and Gabriella were asleep.

She got up and switched the small lamp on low and turned the main lights out. She walked over to the couch and leaned over Troy's chest to kiss Allie's forehead before moving her body to lean over Troy's face. She brushed his bangs from his forehead and his lips immediately turned up into a smile and a small sigh made her blush slightly.

She traced her fingers over his cheek closest to Allie and before she knew what she was doing, she kissed his cheek closest to her. She pulled back and marvelled in the feeling of his skin beneath her fingertips. So perfect.

The one word she hadn't used since she had held Allie for the very first time. She knelt next to the couch and became nervous as Troy started to stir, his snores now morphing into sleepy grunts. He used the hand hanging over the edge of the sofa to wave blindly at Gabriella's hand which was still stroking his cheek. She moved her hand to her side and waited patiently for him to come around.

After a few seconds of blinking rapidly to remove the sleep gathered in his eyes, he smiled sleepily at the young woman beside him. "Hey." He croaked.

She smiled slightly and nodded her head towards Allie. "Did she enjoy it?"

He sighed and turned his head so he could face her properly. "I have no idea. I think I fell asleep before she did."

Gabriella giggled quietly and cocked her head to one side. "Is Allie Baylor that boring?"

"No way, if anything she's- Baylor?" Troy interrupted himself to question the choice of name.

Gabriella smiled slightly. "Don't get any disturbing and gross thoughts into your head. I didn't give my name up when my mom and dad adopted me because my genetic father meant so much to me. But, then I had been in the family for so long… It made sense when she was born." She rubbed her forehead tiredly.

"Well, I'm glad to hear there's no disturbing relationship going on in my country club staff." Troy concluded, earning a playful glare from Gabriella.

"Well, that's basically it. Nothing more, nothing less." She muttered, avoiding his eyes and finding great interest in her fingers which were squirming nervously like a pile of worms.

"Gabby, I'm sorry. Please tell me I didn't upset you. I did, didn't I?" He asked desperately. He wanted to hold her, to hug her, to tell her everything was alright. But, a cute mini version of the woman he wanted to hold was already in his arms, sleeping, which was forcing him to stay in his lying position on the couch.

She giggled quietly and kissed his cheek. "No. Just awoke a few memories." She whispered, getting to her feet. "Do you want to stay here all night?"

"Will I get a bad back?"

She nodded. "Most likely." She reached down and pulled the blanket back before reaching out to pick Allie up. "I'll be down in a minute. Can you fold the blanket?"

Troy nodded as he sat up to stretch his arms behind his head. "Sure thing. Hey, um, I'll totally call my parents to come and pick me up."

After briefly – Gabriella didn't realise just how brief it was – thinking it over she jumped at the chance, tightening her grip on her daughter. "No. It's okay. Just let me put Allie to bed, okay?"

He knitted his brow together and opened his mouth with words of protest spilling out. "No, it's okay. I don't want to intrude."

She raised an eyebrow and shook her head. "You're not. This is the second day you come around. If you were intruding, I would've kicked you out. Just give me a minute!" She left the room before Troy could say anymore and he rolled his eyes at how stubborn she was.

He grasped the blanket and noticed the colours of it, wondering why it was simply red and white. He started folding it and he suddenly smelt the lingering fragrance of the blanket. He felt his knees become weak and he fell backwards onto the couch so he was in his previous lying position. The fragrance wasn't something he could put his finger on. It wasn't flowers or perfume or even washing powder. Whatever it was, it was heavenly.

It made him think of Gabriella and he closed his eyes as he basked in the delicate scent. It was like Gabriella's body had replaced the blanket and she was lying on top of him. Although, in the case of professionalism, he shouldn't be feeling this way for Gabriella but how do you stop the heart? She was so innocent and honest and so protective of Allie. She wasn't like any woman he'd ever met.

Being a popular business man and jock during high school and college, had always been something of a ladies' man. He had had a couple of serious relationships – definitely one – but they had always ended the same way: the girl realised he didn't want commitment. He now had a reputation of thinking how a woman would cramp his style. And maybe a couple of days ago, he did think that. But, why did Gabriella suddenly change his mind?

"What are you doing?" A voice asked unsurely.

Troy opened his eyes to see Gabriella hovering over him. He felt the heat rise in his cheeks and he sat up. "I wanted to…"

"I don't want to know." She interrupted with a slight smile as she started to fold the blanket up. "Why are you doing this?"

Troy met her eyes as their hands moved in sync before Gabriella placed the folded blanket on the coffee table. They both sat down on the couch and Troy turned to face her. "Doing what?"

"This." She whispered. "Coming over. Buy Allie her doll and hanging out with me…"

"Do you not want me to?" He asked quietly after a moment.

She shook her head. "It's not that…exactly…"

"Then, what is it? Because I want to do this. Not as your boss but as a friend. For years, girls have been pining over me and you didn't. And I like it. And Allie is amazing. Just like you. But, if I do or did anything to upset or offend you, please tell me." He pleaded softly.

"You didn't upset me." She whispered before finally meeting his eyes. "But, you have to promise me something. I want you to stay here tonight. I don't know why but I think it's because I know Allie will like it if she wakes up to her Uncle Troy."

"So, what can I promise?" He asked slowly.

"You have to promise you won't fall in love with me." She said sternly.

"Are you sick?" Troy asked worriedly.

"What?" Gabriella gasped. "No. Where did that come from?"

"Jenna, Kelsi and my mom made me watch 'A walk to remember' after agreeing I am not romantic. That's one of the lines Jamie used when she first met Landon." He explained his theory.

She shook her head. "I'm not sick. But, promise me you won't fall in love with me."

Troy shook his head slowly. "No."

"Excuse me?" Gabriella whispered, cocking her head to the side.

"I'm not promising that." He said calmly.

"Why not?" She asked and the fear lacing her voice didn't go unnoticed by Troy.

"I told you I don't make promises I can't keep." He whispered, taking her dainty hand in his large one.

"What are you saying?" She spoke softly.

"I think I'm saying that I'm in love with you." He murmured, bracing himself for her reaction.

* * *

**A/N:Okay, I know I'm evil. But, seriously, don't you guys know me by now?  
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**A/N 2: HELP NEEDED I am changing the title of this story. So far I have 'Fight for love' or 'Challenges in love' Both of which are HSMandChelseaFCfan's ideas. Any other ideas are welcome and I will pick my favourite when I find it. Please help!**


	7. A promise of love

**A/N: Maybe you'll like...maybe you won't. Maybe you'll hate me...maybe you'll love me. I guess I'm kind of like marmite :P lol. Anyway...Don't own HSM or 'say ok' by vanessa hudgens

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Chapter 7 – A promise sealed

"Hey, Mom." Gabriella called while she took Allie's coat off.

Sarah Baylor walked into the hall and smiled. "Hey, Darling. What are you doing here? I thought you were going back to work today?"

Gabriella started taking Allie's scarf and mittens off. "I am. But, I want to talk to you." She whispered, slipping her daughter's shoes off of her little feet.

"Grandma!" Allie cried, running to hug the older woman's legs.

Sarah chuckled and picked Allie up so she was resting on her hip. "Hey, Sweetie. You being a good girl for your mama?"

"Yeah she is." Gabriella said softly, setting Allie's stuff on the hooks before shrugging her thick, blue coat of which had a slight dusting of snow on the shoulders. She draped it over the hooks and slipped her leather boots off, setting them to the side. "Mom, can I talk to you? I don't have to be in work for another hour and a half and I need some advice."

Sarah nodded worriedly and set Allie on the floor. "Honey, go and play with some toys in the living room, okay?"

Allie nodded. "Okay, Grandma." She said sweetly and ran off into the lounge where there was a box of toys that Gabriella's parents kept for her when Allie slept over.

Gabriella and Sarah walked into the kitchen and Sarah turned the kettle on for some coffee. "So, what's on your mind, Honey?"

Gabriella looked up at the African-American woman and sighed. "Last week, Troy said that he's in love with me." She whispered.

"Really?" Sarah grinned. "That's great."

"No it's not." She muttered, looking away.

Sarah was silent as she stirred the coffee and sat next to Gabriella, setting one mug in front of her. "Why isn't it?"

"We only met each other last week! How can he be in love with me?" She whispered.

"It's possible. Ever heard of love at first sight?" Sarah asked quietly, sipping her coffee.

"Yeah. I've never believed in it, though." Gabriella said softly, cradling the cup in her two hands.

"What about Troy?" Sarah raised an eyebrow.

Gabriella lifted her head and frowned. "Don't give me that look." She sighed and her shoulders sagged. "I don't know. I guess I'm scared."

Sarah placed her mug on the counter and hugged her adopted daughter tightly. "Sweetie, Troy's not going anywhere." She whispered, kissing Gabriella's hair.

"How do you know?" Gabriella whimpered into her mother's shoulder.

"What was the first thing you liked about Troy?" Sarah asked softly.

Gabriella pulled back and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "He liked Allie." She finally whispered.

"And…" Sarah prompted.

"He doesn't make promises he can't keep." Gabriella sipped her coffee before pushing it away.

"Exactly. Doesn't that count for something? And didn't you tell me last week how he wanted to know you?" Sarah raised her eyebrows.

"That's my point. He doesn't know me. I was happy with having three guys in my life. Three guys that I know will never hurt me." She cried in exasperation.

"You can't hide from every guy that comes into your life." Sarah said sternly.

Gabriella stared at her in disbelief. "You've been talking to Zeke." She decided. "That's not it. I don't want to hide but what can I do?"

"Here's a thought: tell him how you feel." Sarah tried with a smirk. It slowly faded when she saw her daughter's face. "You don't know how you feel, do you?"

Gabriella shook her head and tears rolled down her cheeks. "I've tried so hard to figure it out. He's so perfect. I mean, he's honest, he's great with Allie and he makes me laugh. And the fact that he's handsome is just an extra."

Sarah giggled and rubbed Gabriella's arm. "See? You'll be fine. I'm not telling you what do to. But I'm telling you to give him a chance and not to let what could've been slip through your fingers."

"How fast did you fall in love with Dad?" Gabriella whispered, avoiding Sarah's eyes.

"About as fast as Troy fell for you." Sarah replied with a gentle smile.

"Really?" Gabriella asked unsurely.

Sarah nodded. "Yeah. I was being bullied, your father knocked them out and the rest is history. So it is possible. You just have to trust that your heart is good at making choices."

"Look what happened last time." Gabriella muttered, resting her chin in her palm.

"And without that happening, it is highly unlikely you would've met Troy. If I remember rightly, you moved back to Albuquerque because of Allie. Am I right?" Sarah asked sternly.

Gabriella groaned and closed her eyes. "Why does everyone remember everything I want them to forget?"

"Just don't lose him. He's the first guy in three years that saw Allie and not think you were a slut, right?" Sarah asked positively.

Gabriella finally nodded. "You're right."

"So, what are you going to do?" Sarah asked.

"I have no idea." Gabriella muttered in a defeated voice.

* * *

Zeke laughed as Allie gladly got stuck into her chocolate mousse. "Don't get it on your dress or your mama is going to kill me."

"Zeke, Honey?" Sharpay asked from the island in the middle of the country club kitchen.

Zeke looked over from his baking station and smiled at his wife. "Yeah?"

She bit her lip nervously and waved him over. He lifted Allie up and carried her over before appearing beside the blonde woman. "I know we haven't really talked about this and I don't think this is the place, either, but I think I want some kids." She whispered.

Zeke stared at her in disbelief. "Where did that come from?"

She shrugged, stirring her coffee with a spoon. "I don't know. I just saw how you were acting with Allie and I figured… It doesn't matter."

"No, Pay, it does. If you want kids we can start trying. I'd love them. I promise." He kissed her cheek before returning to his station and set Allie on the stool beside him.

"You sure?" Sharpay called over.

He turned to her and winked. "Definitely." He turned back to his baking and kissed Allie on the top of her head. "You enjoying that?"

She nodded, stuffing the creamy chocolate into her mouth which was slowly being obscured by a chocolate beard. "Yes, thank you Uncle Zeke." She said happily.

He chuckled and started moulding the dough once again. "You having fun today?"

Allie nodded. "Can I go and play with Uncle Chad when I'm finished?"

Zeke smiled at her innocence and nodded. "Of course."

"Zeke, there you are!" A voice said breathlessly.

Zeke turned around – with dough covering his hands – and he raised his eyebrows. "Yes. It's strange to find the head chef in the kitchen."

Troy shot him a look and he noticed how Sharpay joined her husband and niece. "Good afternoon, Sharpay."

"Hmmm… I suppose it is." She muttered.

Troy was starting to become unnerved at their coldness and he turned to Allie. "It's good to see you feeling better, Chocolate Baby."

Allie beamed and held her arms up. "Uncle Troy."

Troy picked the little girl up and reached for a tea towel to wipe her mouth. "I've missed you, Allie. So much." He whispered as he tossed the tea towel onto the silver counter and pulled Allie closer to his body, closing his eyes. He imagined Gabriella in his arms instead and he sighed softly, kissing Allie's cheek.

"I've missed you too." Allie said softly.

Troy opened his eyes and turned back to Zeke and Sharpay who both had their arms folded and stern looks on their faces. He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Guys, where's Gabriella?"

"We're not telling you." Sharpay said shortly.

"What?" Troy asked in disbelief. "This is my club."

"And you hurt my sister." Zeke shot back.

"I didn't mean to! And I want to know where she is so I can try to fix things!" He exclaimed. "All I did was tell her how I feel!"

"Then why did she knock on our door, crying?" Sharpay shot back.

"Please." Troy begged, holding Allie tightly. He turned to the little girl and raised an eyebrow. "Allie? Do you know where your mama is?"

Allie glanced at her Aunt and Uncle who were shaking their heads. "She's _not _in the music room."

Troy raised his eyebrows. "Okay, well I _won't _take you to the music room." He decided and walked out of the kitchen.

"Come back here, Bolton!" Zeke yelled.

"Not a chance." Troy muttered.

* * *

_Will you say alright?  
Will you say okay?  
Will you try to_

Gabriella's fingers stopped playing the piano as she grabbed the pencil and continued editing her song. "Will you try to make me feel better?"

Ever since talking with her mother, all she had come up with was how perfect Troy really was. Every time she thought of him, she added one more thing to his list of perfections. She knew she had hurt him and in the process of hurting him, she had hurt Allie as well. She knew how her daughter doted on Troy and how much he doted on her in return. So, why did she throw it all away? She didn't know. She figured that her fear of being hurt again had overcome her want of being loved. The last time she had given her heart away, she had been hurt. And she didn't want that to happen.

_Troy's not going anywhere…_

Sarah's words rang through her head and she had to agree. During the first couple of days they had known each other, he had been there, comforting, not only Allie but, her as well. The lack of sleep because of these thoughts had made her have bags under her eyes and to be unnaturally irritable and the only people who were talking to her without fear were her parents, Zeke, Sharpay, Chad, Taylor and Allie.

Her fingers pressed the keys in a gentle harmony which she had been writing for the first half hour of her lunch and she sighed gently as she sang softly under her breath.

_You are fine  
You are sweet  
But I'm still a bit naïve with my heart_

Her hands froze and she felt tears well in her eyes. Her life had been perfect. Hectic, but perfect. She had had family, friends, a job and a wonderful daughter. But, that had all changed when she met Troy Bolton because she was confused as to what she felt for him and where his loyalties lay.

While during the first few days of their friendship he had been caring and sweet but, what about the future? She mentally kicked herself for thinking like that. During high school, she had constantly worried about her future before finally learning that whatever will be, will be. But now, she was worrying about the future again and she knew Zeke, her parents and especially Sharpay would have her head if they knew of these thoughts.

And that led her to think of her brother's reaction if he knew his sister was thinking not-so-innocently every time she was snuggled in her bed attempting to drown herself in a sleep she knew she needed.

"Hey." A voice whispered.

Gabriella sighed and shut the lid of the piano. "How did you find me?" She asked, already knowing who the person was.

"Your daughter stinks at lying." Troy muttered as he leaned against the piano. "Which reminds me: one hyper-active three year old girl." He held Allie out who gladly moved into her mother's embrace.

"Have I lost my job?" Gabriella whispered, brushing Allie's hair from her eyes.

Troy placed two fingers under her chin and forced her to look at him before folding his arms. "Where did that come from?"

"I just figured… Just answer me!" She snapped.

"I'm not firing you." He concluded.

"Why not? I was a total bi-" She stopped herself and glanced at Allie, "I was a total meanie."

He smiled slightly in amusement and nodded. "Yeah. You were. But, I'm not holding it against you."

"Why not?"

He shrugged. "I find it hard to hate a person who has such a beautiful daughter."

She raised an eyebrow.

He sighed. "And who is also beautiful herself."

She smiled and giggled. "I'm sorry about last week. I didn't know what to do."

He nodded. "Don't worry about it. I'm not. I wasn't even that disappointed because I knew it was a little soon."

She nodded and rocked Allie back and fore. "So, is there any purpose for this visit?"

Troy pulled a chair up and he took a seat next to her. "Yeah, there is. I'm not sure how you're going to take this and I apologise if I over-stepped." He said sincerely, looking imploringly into her chocolate orbs.

She nodded. "Okay."

He dug into the pocket of his UCLA hoody – much like Gabriella's NYU one – and produced an envelope before handing it to Gabriella. "I wanted to help and it seemed like the right thing to do."

Allie jumped off of Gabriella's lap and straightened her navy blue dress out which was hiding the top of her bright red tights. "Mama, can I go and find Uncle Chad?"

Gabriella nodded. "Go to the kitchen and ask Auntie Shar to take you, though." She said sternly as she watched her daughter skip out of the music room. She turned back to Troy and took the envelope from him. It was slightly creased from being in his pocket which made her giggle slightly. "You need a better filing system."

He shrugged and rested his elbows on his knees in anticipation. "Maybe. You're making me nervous, just open it."

"You don't know what is says?" She asked in uncertainty.

He nodded. "Yeah. I do. I just don't know how you'll react."

She flipped it over in her hands and ripped it open, pulling out a couple of folded papers. She straightened them out – still gripping the envelope tightly – and read aloud, her voice cracking as the words passed her lips. "Dear Miss Montez, I am writing to offer you the opportunity to work at Albuquerque private hospital. You were recommended by Lucille Bolton who spoke highly of your experience and caring personality." She paused to look up to meet her boss' eyes. "What is this?"

Troy shrugged and then clasped his hands together. "I know that Christmas is coming soon. A couple of weeks. And I know how hard it is to have Christmas with hyper children. I grew up being the oldest, remember?" He smiled slightly. "I didn't want to offer a hand-out so… My mom works there and she's high up and they value her opinion." He felt the heat rise in his cheeks and he avoided her eyes. "Are you mad?"

Troy felt himself get pushed off of his seat and it only took a moment before he realised Gabriella had lunged at him with such force that they had both fallen to the floor with her hugging him tightly. "I take it you're not." He muttered, cautiously wrapping his arms around her petite body.

"No." She sighed gently. Her eyes were closed with a soft smile on her lips with her head resting on his chest. Her arms were locked around his torso and she listened to his heartbeat, noticing how it was speeding unnaturally.

"Gabby?" He whispered after a moment.

"What?" She replied just as quietly.

"I'm sorry if I came on too strong." He said seriously, running his fingers through her silky hair.

She lifted her head to look down on him and blushed at their position. "It's okay. And maybe…"

"Yeah?" He asked hopefully, holding her in a vice-like grip.

She giggled at how much he resembled an excited puppy getting teased for a treat. She leaned down slowly, her eyes flickering closed, and softly pressed her lips against his before pulling back, blushing adorably. She bit her lip and placed her head back on his chest. "Was that okay?"

"Where the hell did you learn to kiss like that?" He breathed.

She giggled and grabbed his wrist, pushed his sleeve up and glanced at his watch before jumping to his feet. "I'm sorry, Troy, I have to go. You know how strict my boss is." She rolled her eyes playfully.

He jumped to his feet and encased her in his arms as he stepped closely. He laughed sarcastically and shook his head. "Do you really think I'm going to let you work?"

She avoided his eyes and she flinched slightly. "Troy, that's sweet, but can we take it slow?"

Troy kissed her forehead and rested his head on her shoulder. "I promise that if you tell me not to do something, I won't do it until you give me the okay." He whispered gently.

She smiled against his neck and nuzzled her nose into his skin. "Good. And if you break that promise, you not only have Zeke, but Chad, my dad and Sharpay." She pulled back and looked him in the eyes. "And I'm not sure which one you should fear the most."

Troy swooped down and connected their lips, letting the kiss last longer than their first. He pulled back and chuckled. "Well, from my experience with those people, I would definitely say Sharpay."

She bit her lip in a cute smile and pecked his cheek. "Don't let her hear you say that. But, anyway, I'll go and change."

"What?" Troy gasped, tightening his hold so she couldn't escape.

"You said you weren't letting me work. Are you going to let me walk around at the beginning of December in a bathing suit, shorts and a thin jacket?"

Troy furrowed his brow before kissing her nose. "No. And, by the way, does this mean you're my girlfriend?"

Gabriella broke from his arms and picked up the long since discarded letters and turned to walk out of the music room. "Maybe…"

Troy knew he had a giddy grin on his face and he ran a hand through his hair. The most beautiful girl in the universe had kissed him! He'd kissed her. He'd gotten her a job that paid well and she had – unofficially – agreed to be his girlfriend. Well, he was twenty five so he'd much prefer to call her his partner. Although, that made it sound like they were doing a drama project together.

He momentarily shuddered at memories of his old whacky drama teacher. He shook his head slightly and pulled his hoody over his head after feeling a sudden rise in temperature and he breathed out deeply. He'd definitely need some help from Lucille if he intended on keeping Gabriella close. He knew she had standards and loyalties which were high and he had a feeling his mom had been the same.

He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and pushed the number one speed dial, listening to the ringing tone.

"Hello?" A familiar voice asked.

"Mom? I need your help…"

**A/N: So, what did you think? Please review. I need opinions!**

**A/N 2: Okay, I have narrowed the title down to five:**

**1) The promise (This was suggested by _ilovezacefron258_)  
**

**2) A promise of love  
**

**3) I don't make promises I can't keep (Also suggested by _ilovezacefron258_)  
**

**4) Fight for your love (suggested by _both ilovezacefron258 _and _HSMandChelseaFCfan_  
**

**5) Love takes hard work**

**Please, please, please vote! Feel free to put your own twist on them and then hopefully you guys can decide which one to change it to.  
**


	8. We need to talk

**A/N: Uh...well, check it out lol. Don't own HSM

* * *

**

Chapter 8 – My home

Troy scratched his head in concentration as he continued filling out some paperwork which needed to be done. Granted, he only had about ten minutes for Gabriella to change but he figured she wouldn't take too long and she would be able to wait a couple of minutes. And that would give her plenty of times to find Allie and wrestle her into a thick coat, mittens, scarf, hat and the boots that would no doubt be on the little girl's feet.

He chuckled at Gabriella's protectiveness before scolding himself and turning back to his work. It was nothing important, a few bills which Sharpay had, coincidently, failed to mention she had 'forgotten' to pay. "No damage, haven't gone over the limit…" Troy spoke quietly as he ticked the respective boxes.

A knock at the door caused him to look up and he smiled softly as he saw a petite brunette woman walk into his office. "Oh, hey. You done?"

She nodded and walked over to sit in his leather chair on the other side of his desk. She snuggled into her thick, navy blue coat and slipped some pink fluffy glove. "Yeah. I am."

"Where's Allie?" He asked as he sorted through the pieces of paper to get them into some sort of order.

"I asked Zeke and Sharpay to let her stay over tonight." She mumbled.

Troy lifted his head and frowned. "Why?"

She sighed and shrugged. "We need to talk."

Troy stood up and crossed to his filing cabinet where he stored the papers safely. He walked back to Gabriella and leaned against his desk in front of her. "What about?"

"Everything." She whispered. "We don't know anything about each other and if 'we' is going to happen, I want to know everything about you. And judging from your questioning last week, you want to know everything about me, too." She smiled, letting him know she was kidding.

He breathed a sigh of relief and leaned down to kiss her cheek. "Don't scare me like that."

She giggled and shrugged. "But, I mean it. Everything."

"You sure you're ready to tell me, I don't mind." He said reassuringly, stroking her cheek.

She leaned into his touch and sighed in contentment. "I'm sure." She whispered.

Troy removed his hand and chuckled when he heard her whimper slightly. "Don't worry. I'm just going for my coat. Did you drive here?"

She stood up and shook her head. "Zeke drove me." She replied.

"Does he know about me?" Troy asked with a sly smirk, pulling two leather gloves onto his hands before buttoning his coat up.

She sighed, stuffing her hands into her pockets. "Not exactly."

He raised his eyebrows. "Embarrassed?"

"No. I just want to make sure you can prove yourself to my brother." She said confidently.

He moved over to her and kissed her cheek. "Don't worry. I'm his boss. He can't do much without me firing him."

"Troy, he's my brother. You hurt me, he hurts you, you hurt him, and I hurt you." She explained without a hint of a smile.

"So, basically, I'm stuck with you forever." He said quietly, wrapping his arms around her.

She shook her head. "They wouldn't mind if I broke up with you."

Troy looked at her in disbelief. "Gabby, you can't break up with me."

"Why not?"

"I have an awesome puppy dog face." He stuck his bottom lip out in a pout and tightened his hold on her waist.

"Troy, you're forgetting one thing." She held up her pointer finger to emphasise her point, all the while never tearing her eyes away from his.

"What?" He murmured, keeping his pout plastered on his face.

"I'm a mom. Do you really think that works on me?" She exclaimed.

Troy stopped pouting in realisation and shrugged. "Worth a shot."

She rolled her eyes and kissed his cheek. "Come on. We really need to talk."

Troy nodded and released his arms from her before walking around his desk to find his keys. "Your place or mine?"

"My friends will find me at mine and I don't want any interruptions. But, remember your promise, okay?" She asked innocently, folding her arms.

Troy shut his desk drawer, keys in hand, and walked over to her. He touched her arm and kissed her cheek. "I know. And tell me if I do anything to hurt or offend you or anything you don't like, okay?"

Gabriella nodded and swallowed slightly. "Okay." She whispered.

"Hey, what's wrong?" He asked worriedly, tilting her chin up so she met his eyes.

A few tears leaked from the corners of her eyes and she giggled when Troy quickly moved to wipe them away with his thumbs. "It's nothing."

"Gabby…" He warned, raising his eyebrows.

She sighed. "You'll find out at your place." She promised, kissing his cheek.

* * *

"Allie, slow down!" Sharpay yelled, running after the little girl.

Allie giggled and jumped into Chad's arms. "Uncle Chad!"

Chad chuckled and held a hand out in fear of Sharpay colliding with him and a fragile little girl. "Sharpay!"

Sharpay skidded to a halt in front of them and waved her arms to catch her balance. She caught her breath and glared at Chad. "Stop laughing. Allie, Sweetie, I know you know this club as much as I do – probably better than I do – but don't wander around by yourself."

Allie lifted a finger to her mouth and looked pitifully at her Aunt. "I'm sorry." She whimpered, a few tears rolling down her cheeks.

Chad hugged his god daughter tightly and glared at Sharpay. "Don't yell at her!"

"Well, I don't want to get killed by my husband or his sister because she got hurt!" Sharpay exclaimed.

Taylor waddled over and placed a hand on Sharpay's shoulder to steady herself. "Where's Brie?"

Sharpay shrugged. "She told Zeke and I that she had to go somewhere. She didn't need a ride and Allie's staying at our place tonight."

Chad furrowed his brow as the three of them made their way to a table in the corner of the large room which was, primarily, a crèche but had, with time, evolved into a room for parents to relax while their children climbed on the play area which took up most of the room. However, the only child there at that moment was Justin. "Where would she go?"

"Well, we're her only friends." Sharpay muttered as she watched Allie run over to join Justin in the sand pit.

"Why wouldn't she tell us?" Taylor asked.

Zeke walked in and pulled up a chair next to Sharpay. "I finally have a break. I swear, if I see one egg in the next fifteen minutes, I'm going to start yelling."

Sharpay rubbed his back soothingly and planted a kiss on the top of his head which was finally free of the chef's hat. "It's okay, Honey."

Zeke rested his head on her shoulder as she continued her gentle touch. "What are we talking about?"

"Your sister." Chad said, raising his eyebrows.

"I want to know where she went." Zeke whined.

Taylor nodded, rubbing her stomach. "Us too."

"What would she keep from us?" Sharpay wondered out loud.

Zeke sighed. "I don't know."

"Well," Taylor said with a smirk, "there are some things she doesn't tell you."

"Like what?" Zeke exclaimed, bolting upright.

"You don't want to know." Sharpay shook her head. "We didn't really want to know."

"Tell me. What don't I know?" Zeke cried.

"Do you really want to know about her menstrual cycle?" Sharpay asked quietly.

"Eew!" Zeke exclaimed, wrinkling his nose. "End of conversation!"

"Too bad, we're talking about Brie." Taylor declared.

"Not about that, though!" Zeke exclaimed, folding his arms in a huff.

Sharpay giggled and rubbed his knee gently. "Honey, we just want to figure out why she would hide something from us." She gestured between herself and Taylor.

Zeke frowned but eventually relaxed and slid his arm around her shoulders. "I don't know. She usually gives a very good explanation as to why Allie needs to stay with us."

"Like her Uncle was missing her." Chad teased.

"One time and I hadn't seen her in two weeks!" Zeke defended.

Sharpay giggled and bit her lip. "Well, I can honestly say, you'll make a great father." She whispered in his ear, kissing his cheek.

"Did I hear what I think I did?" Taylor exclaimed excitedly.

Sharpay faced her best friends and glanced at Zeke before blushing slightly. "Yeah… We're going to start trying for a baby." She whispered in embarrassment.

Taylor squealed and rushed – as fast as she could – and embraced Sharpay. "Congratulations!"

Sharpay giggled and pulled back. "Tay, I only said we were trying. I never said I was pregnant."

Taylor shrugged and took her seat again. "Close enough. I never thought you were the motherly type."

"Me neither." Sharpay admitted. "But, I saw Zeke with Allie and I liked the thought of it. And I've helped with Justin and Allie. I really think I'll be a good mom."

Chad scoffed. "Right." He muttered.

"Oh, shut it, Danforth!" Sharpay grumbled. Although the man was like her older brother, that only encouraged the pair to take advantage of it and tormented each other whenever the opportunity arose. She knew he would protect her from anything – including his best friend.

* * *

Troy shook his head, getting rid of the snow in his hair and smiled at Gabriella. He brought her into his arms and he rested his forehead against hers. "You are so beautiful like that."

"Like what?" She asked, frowning.

He smiled and kissed her nose, making her giggle. "Your cheeks are pink, your eyes are shining, snow on your shoulders and your hair is slightly damp. Beautiful." He leaned down and captured her lips in a gentle kiss.

Gabriella melted into the kiss and gripped onto his coat to steady herself. She smiled against his lips and stepped forward so their torsos were pressed against the other's. She felt him wrap his arms around her waist and his hands supported her by the small of her back. She felt his tongue run across her bottom lip and she whimpered, pulling away. "Sorry." She muttered, staring at the floor.

"Hey, it's okay. Don't be. Slower than that?" He asked quietly.

She looked up at him with watery eyes and nodded. "Yeah. I'm sorry."

"What did I just say?" He asked softly, though she heard the sternness in his voice.

She sighed and nodded. She giggled and leaned up to kiss his cheek. "Do you mind if I just use your bathroom for a second?"

Troy helped her slip her coat off and hung it on the hook before shrugging his own off. He slipped his shoes off and chuckled as Gabriella followed suit. "Sure. Up the stairs and seventh door on the right."

"Second?" She queried.

He shook his head as they both removed their gloves and scarves. "Seventh." He replied.

"Troy! How big is this house?" She exclaimed.

"Big enough for my parents, brother, sister, best friends and you to stay over if everyone wanted to." He shrugged slightly, placing his gloves and scarf on the table under the hooks and Gabriella placed hers beside his.

"Are you trying to seduce me?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

He shrugged. "Maybe. Are you seducible?"

She slowly shook her head. "Not really. The last time I was, Allie came along."

He smiled slightly and nodded. "Which is why I am not taking you upstairs without your permission. Anyway, seventh door on the right."

She nodded and turned around and started up the stairs. "I'll be back."

"Oh, Gabby, wait!" He grabbed two walkie-talkies from the table under the coat hooks and ran up the few steps she'd climbed to hand one to her.

"What's this?" She asked quietly.

"A walkie-talkie. I've only just found everything in here. I don't want you lost." He laughed slightly. "My sister still gets lost and forces me to go everywhere with her. I have to wait outside the bathroom for her so she won't get lost."

She giggled and kissed his cheek. "Thank you."

"Do you want anything to drink?" He enquired.

"Coffee?" She asked before she continued with a blush gracing her cheeks. "I sort of didn't get much sleep this past week."

He kissed her lips gently and smirked. "Thinking of me?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out." She smiled innocently – and Troy knew it was her real innocence showing – and turned to run up the stairs.

He smiled at her back before jumping down from the third step he was standing on and jogged into the kitchen. He started moving around his large kitchen in a way that made him feeling like he was dancing – he couldn't have been for his lack of dancing talent, though. The phone rang and he picked it up, holding it between his ear and shoulder as he spooned coffee into two mugs. "Talk to me."

"Hey, Troy." A bright voice said into the phone. "When is the next time you want to see your favourite little sister?"

"Jenna, for the last time, you're my only sister!" He chuckled.

"Less competition." She laughed. "So, when can I see you?"

"You need me to drive you to the mall to look for presents for Mom, Dad and Cody, don't you?" He asked knowingly, pouring the boiled water into the mugs.

"Maybe." She muttered. "Okay, fine, I do."

He smiled in amusement. "Okay, well, not today. Probably not tomorrow so what about the day after?"

"Day after tomorrow… Sure. Sounds good. Why can't we go tomorrow?" She asked.

"You'll find out soon enough if you're Jenna Bolton." He smirked.

"Good point." She laughed but it slowly died down. "You've got a girl!"

Troy rolled his eyes as he added milk. "I don't know how you do that."

"Troy, I have known you for the full fifteen years of my life." She said as if she was accepting an Oscar.

"That's because I'm your older brother." He said dryly, placing the spoon in the dishwasher and leaning against the island with one leg crossed over the other. "Anyway, I've got to go."

"Why? You weren't doing anything with her, were you? Gross!" She pretended to wretch into the phone and Troy chuckled.

"No, I am not. Besides, you're only fifteen! I am not allowing you to think like that." He said sternly. "We've got a lot of things to talk about."

"Yeah, you keep thinking that. Let me know when you want to tell Mom and Dad that they're going to be Grandparents." She joked.

"Bye Jenna." Troy sighed, hanging the phone up and placing it on the counter. He glanced at the clock on the microwave and realised that Gabriella had been gone for fifteen minutes. He picked up the walkie-talkie and pressed the button, lifting it to his lips. "Gabby, where are you? You okay?"

"Yeah…" Came her reply, her voice sounding distant and far away as if she were daydreaming.

"Where are you?" He pressed, worry coursing through his body.

"The room across from the bathroom." She whispered.

Troy sighed in realisation as to where she was and carefully picked up a coffee cup in each hand. He started climbing the steps and walked down the long landing and walked into the familiar room, seeing Gabriela staring up at the wall. He set the cups down on a small table and walked up behind her, wrapping his arms softly around her petite frame. "You okay?"

"You are exactly like my dad. My real dad, not Zeke's dad." She mumbled in amazement.

"I am?"

She nodded. "Look." She raised her hand to point at one of the many photographs hung on the wall. "You were on the basketball team since practically kindergarten, weren't you?"

He nodded. "Pretty much."

"You have good friends." She pointed to another picture of him standing between Jason and Kelsi in light blue graduation gowns. She twisted her head to look at him with watery eyes. "And he didn't judge anybody he didn't know."

"What are you talking about?" Troy asked softly, watching her break from his arms and slowly sit down on the small couch in the room. He took a seat next to hear and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, smiling when she buried her nose into his neck. "Now, what's wrong?"

She lifted her head and sighed. "When people hear that I'm a single mom and I have a three year old daughter, people assume that I was some sort of slut or something."

Troy frowned. "I don't think that. I never did. I know that sometimes things happen and there's literally nothing you can do about it. Take my car accident, for instance. I knew when I woke up in the hospital that I wouldn't be able to play basketball and I knew I'd have to find a plan B for my life."

She giggled slightly and shook her head. "I planned to stay in New York. I wanted to work in the private hospital there. But, I knew I couldn't because I knew from experience how much better it was growing up in a small town compared to a city. People just don't get it."

Troy rubbed her arm and leaned down to kiss the tanned skin of her neck. "It's okay. I'm trying to understand." He whispered, kissing her cheek.

She nodded. "I know. But, I feel so alone sometimes. I love Allie immensely and she's the best thing that ever happened to me. Not how she happened but she is. And I know I have Zeke, my parents and friends and now you. But, when Chad and Tay had Justin, they had each other. They had someone that could kiss them and cuddle them and reassure them that everything's going to be okay. I didn't have that. I just had to hold my chin up and smile for Allie's sake."

Troy listened intently and when she finished with tears rolling down her cheeks, he leaned across and kissed them all away. "Hey, I'm here now. Allie is an amazing girl and I'm going to help. You can't say no to me."

She giggled and nodded. "I just feel so helpless sometimes. Like I don't know why my dad died, I don't know why I had to fall for the biggest bastard on the planet and I don't know why I got pregnant!" Troy opened his mouth to say something and she pointed a finger at him. "I know how I got pregnant. I'm a doctor and I'm twenty three."

He smiled gently and kissed her temple. "Do you want ice cream?"

"A super special scrumptious strawberry sundae?" She whispered.

He nodded. "But of course." He kissed her cheek and held her tightly. "I love you."

Gabriella smiled into Troy's skin and lifted her head to kiss him. "It's been a long while since someone has said that in the way I hope you mean it."

"You mean the way that I can do this:" He leaned over and kissed her chastely before pulling back.

She giggled and nodded. "Yeah. That. And it feels nice. I forgot how it feels to know someone cares about me like that. But, my standards are high, you know. I have a list."

"A list?" He asked unsurely, his smile faltering slightly.

She nodded. "Like, number four is that the guy needs to be able to cope with my friends. Which you do."

"What's number one?" Troy enquired.

"If I told you, I'd have to kill you." She giggled. "Just promise me this isn't some dream. That I'm not going to wake up and be lonely like I felt before you."

He leaned over and let his lips brush against hers. "It's not a dream." He whispered. "I love you." He pressed his lips against hers and heard her moan softly into his mouth. He pulled back and smirked. "Miss Montez, I appear to be too much to handle."

She bit her lips and shook her head. "No."

He frowned. "Are you attempting to insult me?"

"I meant that you don't appear too much to handle. You are…to other people. You seem to keep forgetting that I have a three year old daughter. When you have kids, you'll learn how control any situation."

"Are you suggesting you want kids with me?" He wiggled his eyebrows.

"No." She said shortly, her lips staying in a straight line.

He sighed. "Gabby, I'm sorry. I was joking."

She nodded. "Can I have my ice cream now?"

* * *

**A/N: This is a preview of a story I might start in a few chapters of 'Love takes hard work'. Or maybe tomorrow. Whenever you want me to. So, tell me when or if you want me to continue it. It's called 'Stand by me'**

**Full summary: When Gabriella Montez moves to Albuquerque, she finds a face from a very memorable summer vacation at her school. She starts to tutor him in English and he helps her to settle in to his hometown. But, when she reveals a secret that hurts, not just him but, her too, he must face a concept most teenagers won't face until they're older.  
**

_**Prologue**_

_**Gabriella walked along the Spanish street and smiled slightly. She had grown up in a town much like the one she was currently on vacation in during the first four years of her life and she felt her body sigh with happiness. Her thumbs were hooked into the belt loops of her denim skirt and she suddenly turned right into an ice cream parlour. As she joined the queue, she unzipped her purse and brought out her wallet. She stepped forward so she was second in line and giggled at the lack of Spanish knowledge the guy in front of her had.**_

"_**Uno hermano, por favor." **__**(A/N: One brother, please)**__** He said, stuttering slightly as he struggled to find the word.**_

_**She stepped beside him and smiled at the waiter behind the counter. "Perdóneme." **__**(A/N: Excuse me)**__** She turned to the guy and smiled. "What flavour?"**_

"_**Uh…Chocolate." He replied after a moment with his brow furrowed.**_

_**She turned back to the waiter and pointed at the tubs underneath the glass counter. "Dos coco, por favor." **__**(A/N: Two chocolate, please.)**_

_**The waiter smiled and nodded. "Por supuesto. Cinco euros, por favor." He turned around and grabbed two bowls, starting to prepare the ice creams. **__**(A/N: Of course. Five euros please)**_

_**Gabriella turned back to the guy and laughed as his shocked expression. "Close your mouth. You're not catching flies."**_

"_**Okay, you're obviously American but, how did you know that?" He asked in amazement.**_

"_**I grew up here when I was a little girl. I'm not directly Spanish but… Anyway, it's two fifty for yours and two fifty for mine." She started rummaging for the right change but felt a hand on hers, causing her to lift her head. "What?"**_

_**The boy smiled down on her and he dug his hand into the back pocket of his jeans, retrieving his wallet. "It's on me. You helped me. It's the least I can do."**_

_**She chewed her bottom lip thoughtfully before finally nodding. "Okay. But, next time it's on me."**_

_**He nodded and winked. "It's a deal."**_

_**The waiter placed two bowls of chocolate ice cream and two spoons onto a tray and took the money. "Gracias. Adiós."**_

"_**Muchas gracias." Gabriella said appreciatively.**_

_**The waiter nodded, placing the money into the till. "De nada."**_

_**The boy lifted the tray and turned to Gabriella. "Do you want to sit with me?"**_

_**Gabriella nodded. "I'd like that."**_

_**The boy smiled and started to lead her into a booth by the window. He placed the tray down and slid into one of the seats as Gabriella sat down opposite, setting her purse on the table. "I'm Troy, by the way." He held his hand out.**_

"_**Gabriella." She shook his hand but pulled away when she felt a spark. "Sorry, must've been static electricity."**_


	9. A night alone

**A/N: Uhh...happy reading :D lol. Don't own HSM

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**

Chapter 9 – A night alone

Gabriella threw the crust of her last slice of pizza into the empty box and smiled across at Troy. "You know, I tell Allie off if she has ice cream before dinner."

"Well, Allie isn't here." He chuckled as she relaxed into his arms.

"No. But, the point is still there." She giggled. "I know I said that I wanted to tell you everything but I don't think I can."

Troy rubbed her arm and kissed her temple. "It's okay. I don't mind. I just want to be with you." He whispered.

She smiled slightly and nodded. "Thank you. I will tell you. At some point."

Troy nodded. "It's cool. And that reminds me: what do you want to be? Because 'girlfriend' sounds like we're in high school. 'Partners' makes us sound like we're doing a drama project together and that's as far as I got."

Gabriella suddenly burst out laughing and turned to him. "You're worried about what we'll be?"

He nodded. "Well, yeah."

She shook her head and leaned over to kiss him. "Just ask me out right here, right now." She whispered with a small smile on her lips.

"Okay." He muttered, avoiding her eyes.

"You're nervous. Do you not want to ask me out?" She asked quietly, getting to her feet and looking down at him.

Troy raised his eyebrows at her and slowly stood up, encasing her in his arms. "Gabby, I just said thirty seconds ago that I want to be with you. But, I love you and I don't know how to make it special."

She smiled slightly. "Troy, you're asking me to be your girlfriend – and, yes, I do want that title, not 'partners' or whatever – not proposing. Just ask me."

"Hold on. One second." He said hurriedly before he ran out of the lounge and into the dining room. He returned a moment later with a pink lily held delicately in his hand. "Sharpay mentioned that her sister-in-law hates roses when we were sorting the paperwork out a couple of months ago." He shrugged slightly.

Gabriella giggled and bit her lip gently in a cute way which made Troy lean forward and kiss the corner of her mouth sweetly. She closed her eyes slowly and opened them again, allowing herself to drown in Troy's pools of cerulean blue. "Well, go on." She urged softly.

Troy held the lily out to her and smiled gently. "Gabriella Anne Montez, you are amazing and I'd like to ask you to accompany me to dinner tomorrow evening and be my girlfriend."

Gabriella took the lily off of him, their fingers brushing against each other, before Gabriella lifted her fingers to stroke his cheek. "Promise me that you won't forget about Allie in this relationship. Because no matter if it's you or another guy, she will always come first. And it's going to be a big change for her. She's gone her whole life without a father and I don't want her to get hurt."

Troy reached up to interlock their fingers together but forced her hand to keep touching his cheek. "Gabby, Baby, I didn't want to tell you, and especially her, but, I love her. Not like I love Jenna or Kelsi, no, no, no. I love her like you love her. Just like I love you how my dad loves my mom." He took her hand and spun her around before he pulled her tightly against his body. "I swear." He whispered.

Gabriella frowned slightly up at him. "Troy, the last time someone said that, I got fired from my last job."

"I'm not firing you because I mean it. And, if it's okay with you, I'd like to spend Christmas with you and Allie." He said softly.

Gabriella shook her head. "I don't know, Troy."

Troy looked down and forced a smile, nodding slightly. "I understand."

"I mean, I'd have to ask Allie if it was alright." She finished slowly with a deep breath.

He lifted his head. "Did you just say yes?"

"I said maybe." She corrected. "Like I said, everything depends on Allie. I still have presents to buy for her. And with my new job starting Monday and everything. And we've only been together a few hours."

Troy nodded. "I know. Please tell me if I start rushing. I just can't help it when I'm with you."

She giggled and kissed him gently. "It's okay. And believe me, you'll know if you rush."

He chuckled and leaned down to bury his nose into her neck. "I do love you." He muttered quietly into her skin.

Gabriella softly – using a touch which could only be practiced with parenting, Troy was sure – ran her fingers through his hair and down his toned back. "I know, Troy." She whispered in his ear. "Just promise me you won't let me go."

"Never." He mumbled, kissing her tanned skin. He pulled back and brushed a curl behind her ear. "Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?"

"Maybe once or twice." She giggled. "Have I ever told you how handsome you look when you play with Allie?"

He smiled down on her and tightened his hold on her. "When do you want me to drop you home?"

Gabriella shrugged. "Well, I was thinking… It's been snowing real hard and while you were in the bathroom, I was watching the news and they said not to go out until the morning…"

Troy cocked an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

She nodded innocently. "That is so."

"You sure you just don't want to spend the night with me?" He teased.

"Troy…" She sighed, avoiding his eyes and letting her arms fall from his neck.

"Gabby, I was just joking. I've seen it outside. I didn't want you going outside but I didn't want to rush. Please, don't get mad at me!" He pleaded, nuzzling his nose into her neck.

She giggled and cautiously wrapped her arms around his neck. "I'm not mad at you." She whispered, kissing the tip of his ear lightly.

Troy smiled against her neck and straightened up to cup her cheek with one hand but keeping a firm grip on her waist with his other. "Good." He mumbled into her mouth before kissing her softly.

She pulled back and a gentle blush graced her cheeks. "But, I've got no pyjamas."

Troy took her hand and started leading her upstairs. "Which spare room do you want?"

"Well, which one is closest to you?" Gabriella asked nervously.

Troy helped her up the final step and kissed her forehead. "Would you rather me sleep on the couch? Because I can totally do that."

She shook her head. "No. It's okay."

He leaned down and kissed her again. He pulled back just enough so their lips were still touching. "You don't want this, do you?"

"What?" She mumbled into his mouth.

"Us." He whispered sadly.

She shook her head. "I do. I do want to be together but… Troy, it's difficult for me. It always has been. I've never been the 'boy crazy' type but then…"

Troy started to lead her down the hall and turned into a bedroom, sitting her down on the bed. "Shh… Just tell me what I have to do to make you trust me."

She rested her head tiredly on his shoulder and closed her eyes. "I was focussed on being a doctor. That's all I wanted in life. I didn't care about guys because I had Zeke, Chad and my dad. But, then I met Robert."

"Do you mind if I guess?" He asked, gently rubbing her arm.

"Go ahead." She mumbled.

"Allie's father?" He whispered into her hair before planting a sweet kiss there.

She nodded. "And I found out I was pregnant. I didn't know what I was feeling. I was only halfway through medical school and I was just twenty! So, I only told Sharpay. I told her not to tell anyone until I figured out how Robert would react and – more importantly – how my family would react."

Troy gave her hair comforting kisses as tears rolled down her cheeks. "Gabby, Baby, why don't I find you an old shirt, some shorts, you change into them and I go and make us some coffee?"

Gabriella shook her head and whimpered into Troy's neck. "I need to do this now." She whispered.

Troy shifted slightly to get more comfortable and then tilted her head upwards to brush his lips against hers before pushing a stray curl behind her ear. "Can we at least lie down or go downstairs to sit on the couch because my back is starting to hurt. When we go on a date, can you wear heels?"

Gabriella giggled slightly and flopped back so she was lying on the mattress with her legs dangling over the edge. She shuffled backwards and let her head fall gracefully onto the pillows. "These pillows smell like you." She muttered with her eyes closed.

Troy crawled up the bed and lay down next to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Is that good?"

"I love it." She muttered into his shoulder. "Anyway," She pulled back and swallowed loudly as Troy wiped her cheeks. "I finally pluck up the courage to tell him. I mean, I was three months gone so I was having real bad morning sickness and Zeke was getting tired of my cravings."

Troy laughed slightly and stroked her cheek gently. "Go on."

"And so, I finished my work at the hospital early – I was an intern there. And…I go to his flat. We weren't living together, it happened at my flat. Oh, wait, I forgot one part." She slapped her forehead fiercely.

"Gabby, Gabby, its okay. I don't mind. You can tell me in whatever order you want." He whispered, kissing her forehead before shifting to lie on his back, his arm still secured around her shoulders. "You okay?"

She nodded and snuggled into his side. "So, we agreed to have my first time on Valentine's day. It was romantic and it was my first and…So, yeah. But, when it came, I started doubting myself. If I was ready and if he was the one. But, I went ahead with it. Now I think back, he kind of made me feel guilty because of it. He did it so subtly that I didn't realise until I came back home. And we only did it once. I haven't even had my second time yet. How lame is that?"

Troy lifted her knuckles to his lips and felt her shake slightly with sobs. "Baby, he's the lame one."

"So, anyway, I went to his apartment and I let myself in. I had my own key and… Yeah. So, I went in and set my bag down and he was in bed…" She trailed off quietly, fiddling with the hem of Troy's shirt, letting her fingers brush against his toned abdomen.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Troy rushed out, sliding down the bed to hug her tightly, feeling her arms wrap around her torso.

She pulled back and breathed out deeply as she gained eye contact. "With another guy." She whimpered as tears fell from her eyes.

"Shh…Gabby…My precious Gabby…" He whispered, kissing her hair over and over again. "Did you tell him?" He mumbled in her ear.

Gabriella pulled back and managed to laugh. "Yes, through my swearing, cursing and throwing a vase, high-heeled shoe and a coffee machine at him."

"You go, Girl!" Troy exclaimed, grinning proudly. "And I assure you, I am straight. I mean, your love runs parallel to basketball but I'd choose you every time." He whispered with a sexy smile gracing his face.

She frowned slightly. "I thought you couldn't play anymore?"

"Well, I can. But, only one-on-one. Not too intense." He explained.

She nodded slightly and nuzzled her nose into his neck. "Troy, you mean so much to me." She whispered.

Troy rubbed her back and closed his as he sighed in happiness. "You mean everything to me."

* * *

Gabriella jolted out of her sleep to feel herself covered in a cold sweat. The sheets were tangled around her body and she saw lightning strike through the gap in the curtains. She jumped when she heard the thunder crack and whimpered in fear and as she remembered her very familiar nightmare. She scent of Troy which lingered in the room and his clothes soothed her immensely but she felt her body shake with sobs. The polo neck shirt – which he had said she could keep – and the basketball shorts she was wearing were clearly too big for her but he had apologised for having nothing smaller. She, on the other hand, had smiled shyly before kissing him goodnight and closing the door to the guest bedroom she was occupying.

She jumped when she heard another crack of thunder and the sound of rain and she groped around the bedside table to turn the light on. She squinted at the sudden light and quickly scrambled out of bed, nearly tripping over the blankets in the process. She threw the sheets angrily back onto the bed and rushed to the door, yanking it open and rushing to knock quietly on the door across from hers. "Troy?" She called quietly.

After a brief sound of movement, it fell silent again. She whimpered again at another crack of thunder and knocked more fiercely. "Troy, please wake up!" She pleaded through the door.

Suddenly, hope swelled deep within her stomach as she heard a loud groan and shuffling behind the door. She breathed a sigh of relief when the door was pulled open to reveal Troy. He rubbed his eyes furiously and leant against the doorway for support. She was not surprised when she saw he was just in a pair of plaid boxers, showing off his muscular chest. "Gabby?" He whispered, squinting through the sleep gathered in his eyes. "What time is it?"

"I don't know." She muttered embarrassingly.

"What's up?" He asked quietly, running a hand through his already dishevelled hair.

"Well, I-" She suddenly yelped when another crack of thunder was heard and she leapt forward, wrapping her arms around his torso.

He was momentarily caught off guard before shrugging to himself and wrapping his arms around her, using one to softly pat her hair. "Just guessing here but, are you, by any chance, afraid of thunderstorms?"

"Maybe." She mumbled into his chest.

He chuckled softly and held her even tighter. "You want some coffee?"

She shook her head.

"Watch some TV?" He tried again.

Another shake of the head.

"That doesn't give many more options at," He paused to twist his head and glance at his bedside clock, "quarter past one."

She looked up at him and blushed slightly before looking away.

"I mean, there is always me holding you while you slept but I figured it was rushing." He said with a soft sigh.

She bit her lip slightly and looked him in the eyes. "Well…"

"You want that?" He asked unsurely. "I'm giving you the option."

She nodded. "But, I've never had a guy like you hold me while I slept. Especially during a-" She screamed quietly at another crack of thunder.

He smiled slightly to himself and started leading her to his bed. "Baby, it's okay. Nothing will hurt you."

She lay down on his bed and giggled as he bent down to pick up the long-since-discarded sheets. "You're not fond of sheets?"

He shrugged, draping the blankets over her petite body. "Let's just say I prefer to be able to move." He pulled back the sheets on the other side of the bed and crawled under them before pulling them back over himself. He smiled as Gabriella jumped again at the thunder and snuggled into his chest. He held her tightly against his body and felt her nuzzle her nose into his shoulder. "God, I love it when you do that."

She giggled and pulled back enough to look him in the eyes. "Thank you for being here for me. I might actually end up liking thunderstorms if this is the result."

"Only with you." He murmured before pressing his lips softly against hers.

She giggled against his lips before pulling back to bury her nose into the pillows. She felt his nose nuzzle her neck and kiss the delicate skin. "Good. You know, don't you think this is rushing a tiny bit?" She felt his whole body pressed against hers and frowned slightly. "You don't want to sleep with me." She mumbled.

"I know you're not ready." He whispered, pulling back to brush a curl behind her ear.

Gabriella lifted her head and smiled up at him. "Troy, you are truly the most wonderful man I have ever known."

He smiled gently down at her. "I'm glad I'm your boss."

"Not for long." She teased.

"Long enough to let you have the rest of the week off to spend with your daughter before you start working at the hospital. But, you're still having dinner with me tomorrow night." He whispered.

"Allie." She said simply. "As much as she likes spending nights over at Zeke's and Shar's, she doesn't like it two nights in a row."

"She can come. Like you said, she's an important part in this relationship. And she seems to like me." He chuckled softly.

She nodded. "Yeah. So, it's not a date type date?"

Troy shrugged. "Just go out with me."

She giggled and nodded slightly. "Okay. Fancy or casual? Because I don't have that much of a selection of fancy clothes. Neither does Allie."

Troy smiled slightly and nodded. "It's okay. The limo will pick you up at six, okay?"

"It can't go on too late because of Allie. And I'll have to take some toys with me because she gets bored easily." She apologised. "Maybe its better we just don't go."

He shook his head. "Trust me. If you want, I'll make it five, okay?"

She nodded slightly and bit her lip. "A limo?"

"Hey, only the best for my girl." He teased.

"Ah…Girls." Gabriella corrected. "You've got a daughter now."

He chuckled and held her tighter. "Yeah. I like it."

"Me too." She whispered as he pressed a sweet kiss to her lips. She pulled back just as a yawn escaped her mouth. "I'm glad you're giving me the week off." She mumbled into his neck.

"Why?" He asked carefully, unsure as to where she was going with this.

"Too tired." She muttered.

He chuckled and squeezed her waist that little bit tighter. "Goodnight, Gabby."

As her breathing evened out, he suddenly panicked. When he was with her, he was helpless. He'd do anything for her – even wait to further their relationship to something deeper. He'd only ever had one real deep relationship and it didn't turn out so good. But, the main point was that he wasn't the dominant in the relationship and that was alienated territory. It wasn't that she was dominant, but she affected him in such a way that made him drop to his knees and kiss the ground she walked on. And Allie. God, Allie was so much like her mother. Maybe that was why he had started to love her like a daughter. He could see why Gabriella loved her – besides the fact she was her mother.

That was another thing: her motherly side she showed towards Allie made his love for her grow stronger. There was so much about her, so many perfections which he had never considered to be something he looked for in a woman. Like her innocence. He had never met a woman over nineteen who had an ice cream obsession and didn't want to rush into their relationship. He had only ever met women who wanted him because of his looks and, therefore, wanted him in bed. But, Gabriella's innocence was refreshing and made him want to protect her.

He sighed softly and kissed her forehead. He watched her reaction as she shifted closer to him and murmured incoherently, burying her nose into his neck. He chuckled quietly and tilted his head to kiss her hair gently. "I love you, Gabby."


	10. A date

**A/N: Sorry I haven't been uloading...ill...essay...I've had it all lol. Don't own HSM

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Chapter 10 – A date

"Mama, you look fine. Uncle Troy will love you in anything. Trust me." Allie muttered as she dodged another shirt which her mother threw at her.

Gabriella frowned as she came back out of her closet with a white blouse in one hand and a pair of long, flared jeans in the other. "What are you talking about? Uncle Troy and I are…" She trailed off as she thought about the best way to explain it.

"Mama, he loves you." Allie whispered.

Gabriella turned to her daughter and smiled softly. "I know, Baby. I know he does. And we're kind of," She paused to swallow slightly, "together." She walked over to the bed and set her clothes down and sat next to her daughter, holding her tighter. "Are you okay with this?"

Allie knitted her brow together as she lifted her head. "Like Uncle Zeke and Auntie Shar?"

Gabriella shrugged. "I don't know exactly. We're not getting married…yet. But, between you and me, I hope so someday. But, promise me you'll tell me the truth. Are you okay with it? I mean, I know it's quick and I'm still in shock. But, I like it."

Allie giggled and shifted her position so she was kneeling next to her mother. "So, is Uncle Troy going to be around here a whole lot?"

Gabriella laughed gently and hugged her gently in her arms. "I sure hope so, mi hija."

"And, just to let you know, you look really pretty in whatever you wear." Allie said sweetly, giving Gabriella a toothy grin.

Gabriella turned and picked up the blouse and jeans. "This would be okay?"

Allie nodded. "And your boots would go good with that."

"Well with that." Gabriella corrected before a sigh escaped her mouth and she looked at Allie through narrowed eyes. "You have been hanging around your Aunties too much."

"Hey, they're your best friends." Allie muttered as she folded her arms and her face contorted into a cute pout – one that she had undoubtedly inherited from Gabriella.

Gabriella glared at her as she got to her feet. "Don't use that tone with me, Young Lady." She turned to her daughter and before a second had passed, they suddenly started laughing and giggling. "I'm lucky you're so well behaved."

"Yeah. You're not very good when you try to tell me off." Allie admitted with a shrug.

"Well, as it is," Gabriella started as she sat down at her vanity and started brushing her hair, "you're well behaved and always know when you've done something wrong, don't you?" She saw in the mirror that Allie was about to open her mouth so she continued, "And, yes, that does include getting eggs and flour all over my kitchen."

Allie avoided her mother's eyes and fiddled with her fingers. "Technically it was self-raising flour." She muttered.

Gabriella rolled her eyes jokingly as she started applying some foundation to her face. "You keep believing that, Sweetie."

Her daughter giggled and nodded. "I will."

Gabriella started brushing some grey eye shadow on and smiled at her through the mirror. "Allie, Honey, why don't you go to your room and pick out a pretty dress and some toys to take because Uncle Troy said that it's okay if you take some."

Allie jumped off of the bed and nodded. "Okay, Mama." She ran out of the room and Gabriella giggled to herself.

As she applied mascara, Gabriella reminisced of her relationship with Troy. He had arrived in Albuquerque and they hadn't exactly got off to the best start. He found out about Allie and they suddenly became friends, with him having the inability to refuse the opportunity to spend time with Gabriella. Then, when he confessed that he was in love with her, she didn't talk to him for a week for a reason even she didn't know. And now, they were official.

She shook her head slightly and concentrated on getting ready. She changed quickly into her blouse and jeans and laid her thick, blue coat out on her bed so it was ready for when they left. She knew her boots were downstairs and she debated momentarily before rummaging through her vanity drawers and finding a thick, blue belt which she clasped just under her breasts, finalising her outfit. She sighed to herself and, after one final glance in her mirror, left her bedroom and walked down the hall.

She entered Allie's bedroom and smiled when she saw her daughter packing a _Dora the Explorer _backpack with a colouring book, crayons, Molly the dolly and a large, colourful book called 'The Rainbow Fish'. "Have you got everything?"

Allie smiled up at Gabriella and nodded. "Do you think Uncle Troy likes _The Rainbow Fish _too?"

Gabriella picked up the ink dress which Allie had folded on her bed and shrugged. "I don't know. We'll have to ask. And if you're a good girl, I'm sure Uncle Troy will read it to you."

"I really like Uncle Troy." Allie said sweetly as Gabriella started to help her change her clothes.

"What do you like about him?" Gabriella enquired.

"Don't you see it?" Allie asked as she furrowed her brow into a cute look of confusion.

"See what?" Gabriella asked, slipping the ink dress over Allie's dress and kneeling down to do the buttons up at the back.

"How you look at him. And how you've been singing ever since you picked me up this morning." Allie said as she turned to face her mother. "As much fun he is, and how much ice cream he gives me, he's made you happier in a week than I've ever seen you."

Gabriella giggled and hugged her tightly. "When did you start being such a grown up?"

Allie shrugged slightly. "Te amo, Mama." She whispered softly.

"Te amo, mi hija." Gabriella replied gently.

* * *

Gabriella was surprised, to say the least, when the limo pulled up at Lava Springs and she leaned forward slightly. "Are you sure Troy said to bring us here?"

The driver nodded as he un-clicked his seatbelt and turned in his seat slightly. "Yes, Miss Montez. I am under strict instructions to bring you straight to Lava Springs. George is inside, waiting to serve you." He opened the door and then shut it, jogging to Gabriella's door. He opened it and smiled as she got out with Allie.

"Who's George?" Gabriella asked, holding Allie's mitten clad hand in her own.

"One of Mr Bolton's finest waiters." The driver explained. "Please make your way to the ballroom."

Gabriella nodded. "Thank you." She quickly followed the path up to the club and pushed through the open door to be greeted by an elderly Japanese guy dressed in a grey waistcoat, a white shirt and grey trousers: what waiters wore during important events.

"Good evening, Miss Montez." He said in a deep voice. "I am George and I will be your waiter for this evening."

"Hi. Oh, and its Gabriella and Allie. Miss Montez makes me sound like a teacher." She laughed.

"Of course." George replied. "May I take your coats?"

"Oh, thank you." Gabriella smiled gratefully as she took her coat, hat, scarf and gloves off before handing them to George. She knelt down and started helping Allie with hers, handing them also to George. "Where's Troy?"

"Mr Bolton will be here in a few moments. He is running a little behind schedule." George explained. "Please take a seat."

Gabriella nodded and she and Allie made their way to the only table in the ballroom. They sat down and Gabriella looked around with wide eyes at the different coloured lilies decorating the room. "Are you okay, mi hija?"

Allie nodded as she dropped her bag to the floor. "I am. Are you, Mama?"

Gabriella nodded and giggled. "If you must know, I'm really excited. This is my first date with Troy. And you."

Allie grinned and giggled. "Me too."

* * *

Gabriella drummed her fingers on the table impatiently as she checked her phone for the tenth time in five minutes: half five. She sighed and looked across at Allie who momentarily stopped her colouring to sip her chocolate milk. "Allie, Honey, pack your things away."

Allie looked up in surprise. "What? Why?"

Gabriella sighed as she walked over to the hooks where George had placed their things and she pulled Allie's coat down. "Allie, I don't think Troy's coming." She said quietly as she reached for the mittens, scarf and hat. She made her way back to the table to see Allie zing her backpack back up. "And I want some ice cream, chocolate sauce and to sit down and watch a movie."

"Why don't I give you a makeover?" Allie suggested as she started accepting Gabriella's help with the mittens and coat.

"Why?" Gabriella asked.

"That's what you do to Auntie Shar when she and Uncle Zeke fight." Allie explained.

Gabriella wrapped the scarf around her daughter's neck and tucked it into her coat. "Maybe I'll give you one."

Allie giggled and nodded. "And I'm sure Uncle Troy has a good reason."

"It had better be a good reason. He could've texted me." She exclaimed, placing Allie's hat on her head.

Allie sighed. She knew how smitten her mother was with Troy and she was obviously hurt by how late he was. She did the only thing she could think of to make Gabriella feel better. She hugged her legs tightly. "Te amo, Mama."

Gabriella smiled gently and knelt down to hug her daughter. "Te amo, mi hija. Listen, it's okay. We'll just have a girly night in. We haven't had one in ages. What do you say?"

* * *

Gabriella chased after Allie and lifted her up over her shoulder. "Take that, Missy." She ran to the front door, laughing, and pulled it open, her laugh dying down. "Hello, Troy."

Troy sighed and his eyebrows rose slightly. "Listen, I can explain."

"Hold on." Gabriella said quietly. "You're sick."

"How did you know?" Troy asked through a cough.

"I'm a doctor." She set Allie on the floor and patted her back. "Honey, go and get ready for bed, okay?"

"But, I wanted to lay with Uncle Troy." Allie whined.

Gabriella sighed softly. "You can play with him tomorrow. Now go." She ushered her daughter up the stairs and pulled the door open further for Troy. "Come on."

Troy stepped inside and waited until Gabriella turned around. "I know you're mad but please let me explain."

Gabriella stepped forward and unwrapped the scarf from his neck and hung it on a hook. "Don't talk." She said sternly. "Judging by your cough, it's going to hurt." She started pulling his gloves off and she placed them on the small table under the coat hooks. "What are you doing outside if you're sick?"

He shrugged his thick coat off to reveal a black tuxedo. "I went to the club but George said you left."

"Well, Mr Bond, you are not leaving this house until you're better." Gabriella said sternly.

Troy groaned quietly as Gabriella pushed the black blazer off of his shoulders. "I love it when you get all medical on me."

"I'm still mad." She warned with a hard stare. She folded the blazer over the banister and turned back to Troy. "I expected you to turn up. And if you couldn't make it, I expected you to call or to text me. But, shall I tell you what bothered me the most? What hurt me so much I questioned whether you told me the truth when you said 'I love you, Gabby.'?"

"What?" Troy whispered fearfully.

Gabriella let out a deep breath as she started to work on his bow tie. She lifted her eyes to his before lowering them again. "You disappointed Allie." She whispered softly. "I told her how we were kind of together. And she asked if we were like Auntie Shar and Uncle Zeke. I said we weren't getting married but yes. Then, she asked if her Uncle Troy would be around here a whole lot. I said I hope so." She yanked the bow tie from around his neck and threw it to the floor. "I guess I should grow up and realise that my hoes don't matter anymore, huh?"

"Gabby-" Troy tried desperately.

Gabriella reached up and pressed the back of her hand to his forehead. "I'm going to settle Allie down. Go into the lounge and strip to your boxers."

"Gabby, Baby, I thought you're mad at me? Besides, even if you're ready, I'm not feeling too good." He said regretfully. He saw her raise a single eyebrows before a soft pink glow rose in his cheeks. "You weren't talking about that, were you?"

She shook her head determinedly. "No. I wasn't. I want to bring your temperature down as fast as possible. Strip to your boxers. I'll be down as fast as you can say _Dora the exlorer_." She said quietly before jogging up the stairs. She entered Allie's bedroom to see her already in her pink nightshirt. "You okay, Sweetie?"

Allie nodded and looked up from her pile of dolls and teddies. "Are you okay? You seemed pretty upset downstairs."

Gabriella lifted Allie up and walked them into the bathroom. "Well, I kind of am. But, Uncle Troy and I are going to talk about everything."

Allie nodded and Gabriella helped her brush her teeth before carrying her back to her bedroom. "Is Uncle Troy staying here tonight?"

Gabriella nodded. "Yeah. I'm not letting him outside while he's this sick."

Allie snuggled into the blankets and hugged the doll which Troy had bought her tightly. "Are you going to make him better?"

Gabriella nodded as she kissed her forehead. "I am. Te amo, mi hija." She straightened u and walked to the door, switching the light out as she left. She slowly wandered down the stairs and stood in the lounge doorway. Troy was lying on the couch in his plaid boxers, his tux folded neatly on the chair. "What are you thinking about?"

Troy sighed and stared at the ceiling. "You."

Gabriella disappeared into the kitchen and returned with a glass of water, a damp cloth and her brief case. She set the glass on the coffee table and set the cloth on Troy's forehead. She knelt next to the couch and sighed. "What were you thinking?"

"Well, I was sorting something out this morning and then I had paperwork for the club and then I was stuck this ridiculously long meeting…" He looked into her eyes and sighed. "I didn't think I could put it all off."

Gabriella sighed. "Troy, you can't do that. If you do, you'll get even more ill." She opened her briefcase and took out her thermometer. She laced it under his armpit and looked him in the eyes, brushing his hair gently. "Troy, I care about you, I do. But, the next time you organise something like that and you can't make it, text me or call me. Because I wasn't just mad, I was worried. Anything could've happened."

Troy nodded guiltily. "I know. I'm sorry."

Gabriella removed the thermometer and inspected it. "You don't feel good, do you?"

Troy closed his eyes and groaned. "Not really. My throat felt tickly this morning before I dropped you home but I figured it would go away. Then my nose was blocked while I was sorting something out this morning. Then my eyes were running and then I started coughing during that awful meeting."

"Troy, I hate to sound like your mom but, the next time you feel the slightest thing wrong with you, tell me and I'll try to fix it." Gabriella said sternly, lifting the cloth from his forehead to kiss his damp skin.

"I promise, Gabby." Troy whispered. "And I'm sorry."

Gabriella pulled back and smiled gently. "I know." She laced the cloth back on his forehead and rummaged through her briefcase. "I reckon you just have a real bad virus and although there isn't any medication for a virus, there are some tablets which boost your immune system." She turned back to Troy with a white pot. "You wanna try it?"

"You're my private doctor, what do you think?" Troy asked with a smirk.

"I think it's the best thing for you and you should be your old hyper self in a couple of days." Gabriella explained. "And I'm not letting you out of my sight until that happens." She opened the pot and poured out two yellow capsules. "Take these." She laced them in Troy's hand and helped him to sit up and took the cloth off of his head. She handed him the glass of water and watched as he swallowed the pills with two gulps of water.

He held the glass out to her and wiped his mouth. "How often do I take these?"

"Two four times a day and I want you to drink that. It'll do you good to have some water in your system." Gabriella said sternly as she shut her briefcase and shoved it under the coffee table. She climbed onto the sofa and settled next to Troy. "I'm going to look after you but only if you let me."

"In other words, you want me to call you when I can't make a date." Troy said knowingly as he continued to drink his water.

Gabriella nodded. "Troy, I thought we'd been over this. I can't be with you if you don't take Allie into account. She was so sure you'd show up… Troy, I know it's a big jump going from single guy to a dad but where you have the choice, I don't."

Troy sighed and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Gabby, you don't know how horrible I feel. Please!"

Gabriella shrugged. "I'm not so sure anymore. I know it's been a day but are you going to be like this in the future?"

"No!" Troy exclaimed. "I'm not. I was busy, having a bad day and I sent the entire morning planning something for you."

"What?" Gabriella asked quietly, a small smile on her lips. "Me? What is it?"

Troy chuckled at her child-like behaviour. "I planned for you, me and Allie to go to Hawaii for a couple of days before you start your new job at the hospital."

"Hawaii?" Gabriella exclaimed excitedly. "Troy, you didn't have to!"

"Well, we're going in my jet so it really wasn't that hard but my pilot wouldn't answer any of my calls for hours." Troy exclaimed in annoyance.

She giggled slightly and leaned over to kiss him softly before pulling back. "Troy, why?"

"Well, I know you're hard to convince that you're doing the right thing by being with me so I wanted to surprise you. We leave tomorrow, hopefully I'm better, and come back Saturday night." Troy said softly. "And I bought you new clothes as well. Allie too. But, no underwear. I've never understood girl sizes."

"What?" Gabriella gasped. "How much? I'll totally ay you back."

Troy rolled his eyes. "I'm not telling you."

"How much?" Gabriella demanded.

"A couple of thousand." He relied nonchalantly, sipping his drink.

"Dollars?" She shrieked. "Troy! I can't afford that."

"You don't have to." He said gently. "Forget about it"

Gabriella looked unsure and avoided his eyes. "Troy, you shouldn't do this…"

"I want to. Please come with me? I've been to Hawaii with Jase and Kels but they always act like a couple. I know they are a couple but they overdo it. I just figured it would give me a chance to act coupley with someone." He muttered.

Gabriella sighed and finally nodded. "The flight's tomorrow?"

"Four thirty." Troy replied.

"Well, like everything, I'll have to ask Allie what she thinks." Gabriella whispered.

Troy set his empty glass on the coffee table and turned to Gabriella, holding her hands. "Gabby, I truly love you. Tonight was a mistake and I apologise."

Gabriella leaned forward and planted a soft, passionate kiss to his lips. He felt her relax into his body and his arms weaved around her waist. Their lips moved in perfect sync to a rhythm they had perfected during their only night together. Gabriella's hands ran through his hair, over his bare chest, back, arms…anywhere she could reach, actually.

"Gabby, you're going to get ill." He mumbled against her lips.

The vibrations caused her to giggle into his mouth, which, in turn, caused him to moan into hers. "Do you want me to stop?"

"Well, no, but do you want to be sick?" He muttered, their lips still attached.

"Don't care." She smiled against his lips as they slowly manoeuvred so he was lying on top of her.

He pulled back breathlessly and rested hers and smiled. "Gabby?"

"Yeah?" She whispered.

"Do you know I love you?" He asked softly.

"Just a little bit. Thank you." She said gratefully. "Allie's never really had a vacation before."

"The pleasure is mine." He murmured.


End file.
